Silent Friends
by ZafkielRagnarov
Summary: AU verse As a Professional Assassin, Jaune has lived his whole life in the darkness. Finding a chance at a new life at Beacon, Jaune jumps at the chance. But things are not what they seem, and Jaune must choose the path he will walk. Is he an Assassin, soaked in darkness, or is he a Huntsman, trying to walk to the light?
1. Prologue

The cold air swept through the prison block dead silent prison block. Guards autonomously paced up and down the hallways, brushing past the empty cells that once held the most violent beings. If one listened carefully, the echoing screams of the inmates still rang from the empty cells. Of all the empty cells that lined the dimly lit hallway, one was occupied. In it, housed one of the most dangerous assassin in Remnant.

Jaune Arc sat on the cold hard floor, silently counting in his head the time he was captured and thrown into this lousy jail cell. His hands and feet chained together, the coldness pierced his butt cheeks and the damp floor only made it more miserable for his soft arse. His blonde hair unkempt, the only viable light source was the moonlight that seeped in through the window grill at the top of the cell. Casting a grim figure over Jaune, it gave an intimidating presence to the guards that walked by.

"Dinner's here" The warden spoke in a gruff voice as he slid the tray through the access hatch.

Staying silent, the warden walked off and his footsteps grew softer with each passing second. As soon as they were out of ear shot, Jaune perked up and shot a quick glance at the food. Throughout the entire course of his life, he had never witnessed such a poorly prepared meal. Even the stuff in garbage bins looked more appealing than the small shit mountain that was placed before him.

"Not long now". He murmured to himself as approximately 240 minutes had passed since he was thrown into this hell hole. As another guard strolled by, he partially licked his lips as it was time to begin his grand scheme, "Excuse me guard! There seems to be a problem in my cell!" He yelled at the top of his lungs.

As two armed officers rushed to the cell, they peered through the bars as to identify what the ruckus was all about.

"The hell's your problem fool? You want us to go in there and beat you up?" The guard growled.

"No please! You have to understand, someone was in here with me. He's in the corner there. You may not know it but it's his semblance!" Jaune bluffed as he pointed in the direction where the suspect was standing.

The guard peered into the cell and wore a 'What is he on about?' look all over his face. Seeing nothing, he merely scoffed and laughed at the hapless prisoner, "See this bloke? Gone mad, bet his noggin was fucked over from whatever shit he was on".

"Hey! I'm not lying! There's someone in here with me!" Jaune hysterically screamed.

"That's it, I've had it with his insolent screeching. I'm going to teach you a lesson punk!" The guard said as he fumbled for his keys to unlock the cell door.

With a simple click, the door swung open and the guard rushed in while his partner followed slowly from behind. Baton drawn, the aggressive man was about deliver a blow before Jaune pleaded a loud "No!".

"Please, I don't want more violence. Please sir, do you not have a kind heart?" Jaune stared deep into the guard's eyes and wore a pained look in order to evoke a sense of pity from him, "What am I saying, you're all going to end up getting hurt anyway may as well say your prayers now". Jaune's sudden change in tone made the mood more eerie.

Without warning, an arrow flew through the window grills and implanted itself firmly into the paved ground with a sharp twang. Drawing the attention of both guards, blue sparks exploded from thin air and a dark figure emerged from the shadows. Dagger in hand, the figure quickly disarmed the nearest guard and smashed his helmet with the blunt end of the weapon. Throwing the weapon, the projectile knocked the second guard in his visor as well and knocked him clean out. The entire scuffle lasted no more than 3 seconds tops.

"You sure took your time Stella". Jaune scoffed as the figure removed it's hood and mask revealing a female colleague.

"You know I'm always on time. Besides, you told me to avoid killing anyone. So far there has been zero casualties. You should be proud". She said while unlocking his bindings.

As the shackles dropped to the floor, Jaune let out a groan as he stretched his body in preparation for the next phase of his well thought out plan, "I need my stuff please," His orders were answered as Stella handed him a backpack with the desired gear inside.

Fishing out the great coat inside, he quickly slipped into the clothing and pulled up his hood and mask. Holstering his pistol and keeping his dagger drawn, he gave a silent nod to Stella as the signal to move out.

Pulling her hood & mask up, she quickly drew both her signature dual swords and charged out the jail door. As the sounds of screams and wails could be heard down the hall, he only hoped Stella refrained from butchering the poor sods.

Stepping out from his cage, he looked left and right and was amused to find that most of the prison guards were all knocked unconscious on the floor. Perhaps his expectations were too high for these sort of folks, usually the guards he had encountered would've put up more of fight and not get steam rolled so quickly.

Hearing the sound of Stella's semblance being unleashed, he jogged down the hall to find her teleporting around the last standing guard as if she were toying with him. As the fella drew his pistol, a sharp blow to the back of his head was all it took for him to fall to the ground.

"Awwww no fun, I was just getting warmed up". Stella groaned as she walked over the bodies.

"Easy now girl, wouldn't want to waste our efforts on small fry like these. We got bigger fish to catch". Jaune said as he came up next to her.

"Remind me why we're not allowed to kill them again?"

"Because, our employer said not too. He's paying us quite a lot for this job. So I don't want to fuck it up big time".

"How much are we talking exactly?" Stella asked with a curiously.

"Half a million Lien".

"No!"

"Yes, and if we do get scammed, we'll just have to gut it from our employer's dead hands".

"This is more than what those douches were offering to pay us back in that godforsaken village".

"More than we've ever been paid in our lifetime to be exact".

"What's the plan boss?"

"We're here to kill a guy called Nef Anyo. It seems our employer is keen on getting rid of what he claims to be his rival. Funny thing about the business world".

"Who knew people would go that far just to gain more riches".

"Power can change people, but that's none of our business. All that matters is we kill him and get our pay, if we don't get paid then there's going to be problems".

As the two rounded the corner, a squad of heavily armed guards came down the hall before raising their weapons at them. Locked in a standstill, one of them put a finger to his ear before nodding at his friends.

"Shoot to kill!" He yelled.

"Avoid killing them!" Jaune ran pass Stella before throwing his dagger at them.

In a blink of an eye, Jaune seemingly disappeared before the guards before reappearing in front of them. Going for the first guard, he smashed the handle of his dagger on the helmet before planting a hand on the other guard's chest. Using his gathered momentum, he brought the guard to the floor in rapid succession.

Glancing up, the other two guards were awe struck at the scene that they failed to notice Stella teleporting in front of them and knocking the living day lights clean out of them. The fight didn't even last a full ten seconds and the duo were on their way again.

The thing about privately owned buildings was that you needed to hire your own staff and maintain everything else. Clearly Nef Anyo was on his last legs as barely any guards were witnessed and those that were spotted was quickly dealt with.

In the warehouse sector of the building, Nef watched the monitor wearily for signs of the intruders. If he was being honest to himself, he was sweating bullets right now. He knew this was the end line, no more running. If he did run right now, it wouldn't have been long before he'd be sniffed out again, "Bunch of useless cunts, I was promised professionals but this is what I get? Useless!" He cursed loudly which made the remaining henchmen tremble.

With a loud bang, the warehouse door burst open and a guard flew right through wailing for his life before crashing into a crate. As the remaining guards in the room drew their weapons, Nef watched as the two figures waltzed through the door casually as if they owned the place.

Within the next second, the sounds of souls crying out in anguish echoed throughout the room as the remaining guards in the vicinity dropped to the floor like dead flies. A small chuckle could be heard from the smaller figure who was assumed to be the mastermind behind the collapse of his useless bodyguards.

Taken aback by the sudden display of power, Nef was surprised at how determined his rivals were in making sure he was put into the ground for good.

"So, is this how it ends? I die here? No final words, no goodbyes?" Nef held out his arms as if he was willingly letting the gods take him.

"It would help if you quietly knelt down and just close your eyes. The rest is hoping whatever god takes you into their domain". Jaune said underneath his mask.

The business man took a deep breath, his calm demeanour disrupted, "Kneel?" Nef responded with a triggered look, "Kneel? Did you ask me to kneel? In case your pea sized brain hasn't figured it out yet, I never kneel!" He roared before a large sci fi like hammer transformed in his hand.

"Look out!" Jaune yelled as the weapon smashed itself into the ground. Creating a wide area of effect, electricity cackled and buzzed widely with enough force enough to knock out a full blown huntsman off his feet. It would seem Thor himself must've dropped his hammer and Nef so casually decided to use it against them.

Landing on the higher ground, Jaune opened his arms as if he had won the fight already, "It's over Nef, I have the high ground!"

"Fool! It is my geography that I stand compares you superior!" Nef declared.

Without warning, Stella appeared behind Nef ready to plunge both her blades into the man's back. Anticipating her attacks however, He quickly jabbed the end of his hammer into Stella and gave a powerful kick into her stomach.

"Hurrghhh!" Stella groaned as she went flying, quickly throwing her sword, she teleported away and stabilized herself. Suffice to say, she was pissed.

Taking advantage of the opening, Jaune threw his dagger and teleported within close proximity of Nef and fired two shots into his back.

As the bullets staggered the man, his aura glowed as a sign of taking the powerful hits but was still up to protect him. Turning around to face him, he wore a look that spelt 'I'm going to kill you over and over again for that!'

Aiming his pistol again, Jaune quickly fanned the revolver and unloaded the last four bullets at Nef. He was taken aback however as his opponent dodged all the bullets effortlessly. Throwing his dagger back, he teleported away in order to distance himself even further and formulate a new strategy.

Just as he pulled back, Stella re-joined the fray with even more unbridled fury and hacked and slashed away at her target. While Nef did his level best to block and attack, Stella's proficiency with her blades proved too much for him as some of her attacks slipped through and hit him.

"Die, die, die!" Stella exclaimed as she powered through. With each passing second her movements became faster and faster to the point she began teleporting erratically that Nef couldn't even keep tabs on her.

As Jaune eyed the aura of the man, he estimated that he couldn't take many more hits. The man was no means a brawler but he was no pushover.

Then it happened again, somehow Nef began to avoid Stella's attacks flawlessly as if he was seeing through her moves ahead of time. As Stella pulled back from her attacks, Nef readied his hammer and winded up for his counter attack. Swinging erratically, his movement became sluggish and predictable that Stella didn't even have to think to avoid the attacks.

That's when Jaune noticed it, Nef's eyes. He remembered how they faintly glowed a bright green hue when he began shooting him. It was playing up again when he was fighting Stella. Assuming logically, that was probably his semblance in play which explained how he managed to avoid majority of their deadly attacks. But the downside to him using his semblance was obvious since it was draining his stamina. It reflected his attacks, every use of his semblance wore him down even further.

If anything, now was the perfect time to strike, "Stella! He's vulnerable! On me!" Jaune barked before sprinting towards their target.

As Stella got the order, she quickly jumped back and sheathed one of her swords. Throwing her other sword in the air, she teleported upwards and watched as Jaune teleported right in front of him. Taking advantage of his slow reaction, Jaune unloaded his revolver into Nef's chest and shattered his aura with a loud crack. The deafening blow made him come to a complete standstill which was a target begging to be hit.

Seeing as that was her cue, Stella drew both her swords and threw it towards her target. Teleporting right above him, she plunged the blades deep into his back. As the man let out an ear piercing scream, his final fight kicked in as he stumbled around trying to get the girl off him.

Removing the swords from his back, she quickly back flipped off while Jaune did a power slide and used his dagger to cut the back of his knees. Swiftly cutting the flesh, the move forced Nef to go down on his knees and caused him agonizing great pain.

Throwing his dagger, Jaune appeared in front of Nef one last time and plunged the weapon straight into his chest. As the man let out a pained groan, he gasped as he knew it was the end of the line. Looking at the blade in his chest, he watched his killer lean in close towards his ear.

"You should've kneeled". Jaune whispered before pulling away and removing the weapon from the man's chest. Leaving a deep wound in the man, Nef desperately applied pressure on the wound as to delay the inevitable. Fighting the urge to collapse, he watched as his assailants merely stood by while he suffered in front of them.

"I'll let my partner handle things from here on out. Have fun". The rough masculine voice said before walking away.

As a slender figure filled his view, Nef knew it was over, "Please, no! No! Mercy!" He cried as the figure drew it's blades and the sound of flesh being cut and blood spewing everywhere echoed throughout the large complex. As his dying screams faded out, the deed had been done, Nef Anyo was no more.

"How did you figure out his semblance?" Stella asked calmly as she jogged up next to Jaune.

"I didn't, I just guessed. Clearly this wasn't something we could've predicted. But we pulled through. I wasn't expecting a fight but I see you enjoyed it thoroughly". Jaune smirked.

"Definitely, if it's one thing I enjoy in life, it's going up against an opponent and watching him drown in his own pool of blood the next minute.

"Sheesh, you certainly enjoy staining your hands". He sighed.

"If there's a reason to do so, yes I will enjoy it. Or do I need a reason to enjoy it?" She questioned herself.

"What time is it now?"

"Umm," Stella quickly checked her watch, "Quarter past 2 in the morning. Why, in a rush to get back to school?"

"Fuck….." Jaune groaned, "I can kiss sleep goodbye. Here's hoping Glynda or Oobleck don't murder my ass tomorrow".

Stella offered a perplexed look at her partner in crime, "I don't get why you're bothering with school anyway. Isn't it pointless when we're here making enough to tide ourselves over for the next few years?"

Jaune merely scratched the back of his head. He knew Stella had a valid point, but the point of him going to school wasn't in it for getting a recognized job in the future, it was about experiencing what a normal life was like, something he couldn't achieve years ago. He sighed softly, "Stella, have you ever experienced what it was like to have a childhood? Go to school, be a normal person for once? Have friends, have a family. Rather than getting your hands dirty and spilling blood in exchange for coin?"

Stella tilted her head and scratched her cheek about the idea, "I could say sort-ish I guess. I mean, I used to go to a training Academy awhile back so everything was sort of normal for me. I had some good friends, a happy life in the village and best of all my dear uncle who watched over me". Stella paused for a brief moment, a pained look on her face before she continued in a low voice, "That is, before he was murdered".

"Sorry about your uncle, it must've been hard for you". Jaune said in a low voice.

"It's fine. We both got the shitty end of the stick that life decided to hit us with. I guess fate was just kind enough to put us together. I don't know where I'd be now if I hadn't met you". Stella offered a big smile, one that radiated sincerity and gratitude, "So far, you're the only one I consider as a friend. One that I can reliable trust and rely on".

He merely smiled back, "I guess you're right. I guess my life would've been very different". He wondered to himself if he would have ever been kind to others again after the horrors and mistreatment that others forced onto him. If it wasn't for Stella, he would've probably screwed himself over big time in terms of holding a decent conversation with any normal person.

"Perhaps I should try joining Beacon. Think I'll fit in?" Stella rubbed her chin, the idea seemingly coming out of nowhere.

"Well, I see no harm in stopping you from trying. The only thing I am concerned about is the type of team you'll get put into. Here's hoping the admins don't go ham on you". Jaune held out a fist to which Stella replied by giving him a fist bump.

"Don't worry Jaune, I won't do anything too hectic. Besides, I guess it's time to give a 'normal' life a shot as well". Stelle stretched her arms out, letting loose a tired yawn, "Damn, Beacon's a huntsman academy right? It's been awhile since I last fought Grimm. I think I may need to brush up on some stuff".

"That you are correct. And I'd better practice swinging that sword & shield I keep lugging around. It's not easy trying to balance out your arsenal especially when you prefer mobile warfare over the current meta".

As Jaune finished his sentence, he felt something wrap firmly around his right arm. Glancing at the source, Stella had taken the leisure of resting her head on his arm and merely indulged in the peace that glossed over them. For Jaune, he simply found it as a recurring action that would take place after a long day.

"I'm beat, make me hot chocolate when we get back later?" Stella asked in a soft voice.

"Jeez, even more favours?" Jaune rolled his eyes.

"Pleaseeee" Stella begged while doing the utmost cutest puppy dog eyes Jaune had ever witnessed in his entire life.

"Fine…." He groaned, "You really are spoilt".

"I know, and I like it". She giggled.

* * *

 **So umm...this story just came out of the blue and I am curious as to how i can weave this somewhat questionable story. Do drop a review, highly appreciate it. Cheers**

 **Yours faithfully**

 **ZafkielRagnarov~**


	2. Chapter 1: New Tidings

**Hey guys, back again with another chapter. I will apologize right off the bat as there will be minimal fighting and more or less talking in this chapter. Rest assured, the next chapter will contain more action as things get even juicier.**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

The atmosphere of the classroom was as dull as Ozpin's heart warming welcoming speech to the new enrolees he presented a few weeks ago. Suffice to say, Port had been rambling on for a good hour now about the History of Remnant and half the class struggled to stay awake through the entire shenanigans. Most of his stories were from his own tell-tale experience rather than being drawn from the actual text books they had been given to study and tide over. It was things like these that Jaune wished he was in another class, hell; he'd take Glynda's combat period over history any day of the week. But the fact that he had caught only 3 hours of sleep made it all the while more difficult for him to even concentrate let alone keep his head up.

"Psst, pretend you're taking notes. That way Port won't call you out. Act as if you're documenting his every word." Ren whispered into his left ear.

"Duly noted. Where would I be without your wisdom Ren." Jaune replied before scribbling some lines onto his text book.

As Ren eyed his roommate, he showed a concerned look. Lately Ren had noticed Jaune coming back late into the dorm and had avoided speaking of his actions. Of course, one's personal life isn't meant to be openly discussed, but it was severely impacting those around him and the only right response was to express concern.

"Jaune, what have you been doing lately? You've been missing out on after school training and you always come back late at night. You should slow down; whatever it is you're doing it isn't helping you." Ren said with full blown concern.

"Neurgh!" Jaune groaned as he ruffled his unkempt hair and gave a tired look at Ren, "It's nothing too big dude, don't worry about me, I'm fine, really..." His voice drifted off before his head slumped onto the table.

"This is getting out of hand. Look, you clearly need the rest. How about you go get some sleep and return later at lunch? I'll take down notes for you and hand them to you later so you don't miss out much." He offered.

Jaune shot Ren a surprised look, "Really? You'd do that for me? No man, I can't accept that."

"It's for your own good Jaune. Besides, you can barely keep your eyes open." As Ren finished his sentence, Jaune had already fallen back asleep and was in no rush to wake up.

Raising his hand up, Professor Port stopped his ramblings and addressed the student's needs, "Yes Mr Ren? What can I do for you?"

"If you may sir, it seems my friend here isn't feeling too well. May I accompany him to the Nurse's office and see that he get's the proper treatment?" Ren asked in a manner that reflected his personality.

"Why of course, do hurry! A student's personal health is number one above anything else. Run along now!" Port urged the young man.

Helping the sleepy Jaune onto his feet, all eyes were on them as Ren slowly, but surely, dragged his sleep deprived squad mate out the door. It didn't take long for gossips to flair up into the room. Port didn't take to the liking of gossips and hushed the class in order to resume his story telling.

However, it wasn't only Ren that showed concerned for Jaune. On the other side of the room sat Pyrrha who could only worry so much for their team leader. Her entire focus for the subject had shattered the moment Ren carried Jaune out the room and now all she could do was think of him. Lately Jaune had been doing things that were erratic of him; he always skipped team practice and came home at hours that were questionable even for Jaune.

"Pyrrha, what's up with Jaune lately? I rarely see him at our after school training. Has something bad happened?" Nora asked in a low voice, her usual cheerful attitude gone.

"I don't know Nora. He hasn't said a word, nothing, not a single word. And when I've tried confronting him about it, he would dodge my questions and refuse to open up," She buried her face in her hands, "It's very irritating. Something's up and we need to know. For all we know, Jaune could be getting himself into trouble."

"Ooh, hear me out!" Nora beamed, "What if, Jaune is part of some dangerous underground organization and is some sorta trained mercenary that takes on dirty jobs?"

Pyrrha merely shot Nora the 'Are you fucking serious?' look and was unimpressed, "Really Nora? Jaune doesn't even have to heart to harm a rabbit, what makes you think he can gut a living human being?"

"Just joking, I admit that was a terrible theory." She said.

"Our team leader better have some answers for us later. One way or another, we're going to get to the bottom of this problem. This has been going on for far too long, I just feel sorry for Jaune." Pyrrha sighed heavily.

Ren returned to the classroom just in the nick of time as the bell rang. As second period ended, it was time for lessons with Professor Goodwitch. And everyone knew that Glynda loved to drill them with skills and spar with each other in order to prepare them for the outside world.

"Hey Pyrrha!" A high pitched voice greeted her. The voice belonged to none other than Ruby Rose who joined her side, "How's it going?"

"I don't know Ruby. My mind just hasn't been itself lately." She replied.

"What's up with Jaune lately? He's been sleeping throughout our classes and I rarely see him after school. Did something serious happen?" Ruby asked.

"That's the thing Ruby, I don't know. None of us know what's up with Jaune lately. It's almost as if he's not himself. I don't how long this has been going on for, but I'd be a fool to learn that it's been going on far longer than it should be."

"Oh, I see." Ruby replied softly as her head hung low. Clearly she as well was worried, not to mention Jaune was technically her first friend here at Beacon.

"Anyway, I'll see you later on the fighting grounds. Best of luck to you guys!" Ruby waved before taking off a light speed to re-join her team.

"She's always so optimistic isn't she?" Nora said.

"I wish I had that type of optimism." Pyrrha said.

"In case you guys were wondering, Jaune is doing fine. I saw to it personally that he had been put to rest." Ren calmly stated.

Pyrrha and Nora both shot Ren a concerned look and had to replay his words over and over to understand what he meant. Pyrrha definitely sported the 'You fucking what mate?' While Nora's face screamed 'Ren! What the hell!?'

"Did I say something wrong?" Ren asked, confused by the hostile glances his teammates gave him.

"Ren, I think your wording needs to be clarified. What I think you were supposed to say was 'Jaune is doing fine because I was there to help him catch up on his needed z's'."

"Oh, my bad. I must've said something else then." Ren said in an embarrassed manner.

"Miss Nikos I'm a big fan of yous!" A random passer-by waved.

"Miss Nikos, can I get your autograph?!"

"Pyrrha, can we get a picture?"

The sea of questions kept coming and coming and no end seemed to be in sight for the great celebrity Pyrrha Nikos. Almost everyday there would be a couple of students or outside reporters who would seek her out and ask for an interview or autograph. While Pyrrha didn't have the heart to decline the offer, she grew tired of the recurring incidents.

"Come on Ren, that's our cue to get Pyrrha outta here. One, two, three and lift!" Nora ordered before the duo swept the idol off her feet and began jogging towards the training hall while a sea of fans pursued them.

* * *

The grand chase ended as soon as Professor Oobleck caught whiff of the unusual commotion and forced the crowd to disperse less they wished to be temporarily suspended for disrupting classes and the likes. For team JNPR, minus Jaune, it was Oumsend as they were certain they would've been trampled to death by the horde.

"Do you think it would be solo or team based battles today?" Ren asked while checking his weapons.

"Who knows, Professor Goodwitch is unpredictable to say the least. Besides, Jaune isn't with us, so I doubt we'd get matched up for a team oriented fight." Pyrrha replied.

"I wanna break some legs!" Nora said while pumping her fists into the air.

"Easy Nora, Goodwitch isn't going to mildly impressed in the event you do end up breaking some poor person's legs." Ren said.

"Hey guys!" A familiar high pitched voice filled the room.

"Hey Ruby, what's up?" Pyrrha asked before closing the door to her locker.

"Did you know that there's a new student being assessed right now in the hall? I can't wait to make friends with her!" Ruby beamed with joy.

"A new student?" Ren and Nora both said before giving each other a surprised look.

"Well, this is indeed a surprise. Let's go check her out team." Pyrrha motioned.

As the group re-joined their cohort upstairs, the group had their eyes fixated on the display down below which captivated almost everyone.

"Whoa, I've never seen the training ground transform into this!" Ruby exclaimed as she eyed the moving platforms, the fast zipping targets, mechanical robots, bunkers that housed heavy calibre guns that were spewing rounds that could tear apart hordes of Grimm.

"This is, unexpected." Ren said as he took a seat.

"Is that the new student?!" Nora pointed excitedly.

With a flash of bright light, a small feminine figure seemingly glided through the air as if she owned the skies. Her silver hair flew freely in the wind as she executed jaw dropping acrobatic displays flawlessly. Right off the bat Pyrrha knew this new comer showed promising display of skills.

"She's so smooth!" Ruby exclaimed as she watched with excitement.

"If only Jaune were here to see this, he'd never take his eyes off this performance for even a second." Nora said in a low voice.

"Jaune would do what?" Pyrrha quickly asked.

"Nothing, I was just talking to myself." Nora smiled innocently.

* * *

Stella stood her ground, ready to blast through this exam in order to prove her worth to the headmaster. Beyond the platform she stood on was a series of moving obstacles each offering a unique play style to aid in the completion of the course. But what good was an obstacle course without the added flair of danger? Amongst the rotating platforms and moving walls sat automatons wielding guns and bunkered down turrets that wished to divert any that dared cross the room.

The amount of excitement that was building up within the girl was immeasurable as this sort of environment was something she was familiar with. The only thoughts running through her head was how she trivial this course was since she could practically cheese it for the entire part.

Swords in both hands, she quickly analysed the quickest path towards the end while dealing the most damage to the enemies as possible. Without warning, the bell rang and she took off instinctively without stopping to think about anything else.

Guiding her throws, the swords flew to their desired locations with pin point accuracy which made traversing the mobile terrain a breeze. Coming up to the first platform filled with targets, she quickly teleported high above them for a quick tactical analysis. Seeing that there were five armed targets below, an idea formed in her mind almost instantly and decided to put it to action.

Descending at incredible speeds, she teleported at the last second towards the nearest target and hacked its head clean off. Sparks flying wildly, the automaton collapsed to the ground and Stella wasted no time in moving to the next. Teleporting yet again, she took pride in her air step skills and slashed away at her next target. As the automatons fell one by one, she was a blur for their targeting receptors which proved their downfall as all of them were swiftly dispatched.

The entire time Stella had not touched the ground and made quick work of her opponents by simply using her speed and prowess followed by her own touch of 'magic'.

Moving onto the next part of the course, it was highly unlikely she would make it through without getting spotted by the turrets and automatons that patrolled every square inch of the platform they occupied. Spotting a moving platform in the distance, she quickly warped to it and used it to mask her approach as it drifted closer to the hostile island.

Deciding to drop the stealth act, she quickly leapt out from her cover with a cunning plan in mind. Landing with loud sound, she garnered the attention of nearly all the machines within the vicinity. Taking advantage of her sudden appearance, she quickly casted a ball of warding light into the air as a means to blind her enemies.

Using this distraction, she summoned a doppelganger of herself and the mayhem ensued. Chaining their respective targets, the bipedal automatons were taken down in a domino affect as Stella and her doppelganger jumped from target to target while dealing deadly finishers to each one of them.

With the foot soldiers out of the way, the only targets that remained were the bunkers and a few stragglers on the far side of the island that were rushing over. Noticing one of the turrets powering up, Stella quickly casted a glass like shield to protect herself from the oncoming fire. Her clone was unlucky however as she watched herself get mowed down by the large gun. Seeing that the remaining automatons were closing in, she quickly teleported away as to break line of sight only to appear closer to the oncoming automatons.

Executing a power slide, she zipped past her enemies and threw a destructive fireball that engulfed the last two robots in a fiery blaze. Hearing the sounds of machinery being operated, the heavy turrets swung around to relocate their target.

A smile swept across her face as a playful idea came to mind. As the barrels spun wildly to charge up the guns, she quickly casted a spell that affected the turrets. Bullets flying wildly, they hit their mark but did absolutely nothing as the projectiles harmlessly bounced off Stella's aura. Within seconds the turrets had emptied their magazines and were dry leaving an unfazed Stella out in the open.

As she dusted off the dirt on her clothing, she quickly threw a dark orb into the small openings of the bunker and teleported fast away as possible. The next few moments was unclear as small explosion erupted from within that emitted a blinding light followed by uncontrolled after shocks that rocked the entire training hall to its core. The aftermath of the battle ended with half of the obstacle course gone into a pile of dust while the other half that survived the blast lay in a mangled heap.

* * *

"A wonderful performance indeed Miss Noxfell." Ozpin commemorated her as he rode the elevator platform down to greet her.

"Thank you headmaster, it has been my pleasure." Stella bowed gracefully.

"She will definitely be a great addition to our school. Glynda, I suppose you have no objections?" He asked the Deputy Headmaster.

"I wholeheartedly agree with you Ozpin, but it's just that there are no more teams left for her to join. She can't simply fly by herself." Glynda adjusted her glasses while checking her scroll.

"With that display of such an extraordinary semblance she may not need a team. I'm willing to go out of my way and issue this young lady her own dorm and the free will to choose which team to join. Should there be a 5 man team I shall permit it." He declared.

"Ozpin, surely this is something we must think through?" Glynda objected.

"I have made up my mind Glynda. This young lady has come to us asking us to give her a chance at our institute. I will make sure to honour her choice." His words firm, unwavering at any objections.

Glynda merely sighed and adjusted her glasses, "Very well Ozpin, I'll make sure she's put into the database. If you'll excuse me, I have a class to run." She said before walking off.

"Come young lady, I'll show you to your quarters." Ozpin gestured her to step onto the elevator.

Stella merely nodded her head in agreement and followed his instructions. As the two rode the platform up, the training hall transformed into its original state in preparation for the next class to use.

"I have to apologize for my Deputy. She sometimes goes hard on newcomers as she wishes to see only the best of the best."

"It's okay, I understand that sort of mentality. After all, the real world can be unforgiving and you have to always give your all as it can mean life or death." Stella said casually.

Ozpin eyed the girl with the utmost curiosity, the aura she gave off was filled with mystery and he just couldn't quite put his finger on what he felt. He knew she had her secrets but that was none of his business, what intrigued him the most was the display of her Semblance. Throughout his lifetime he had witnessed unique semblances displayed by various people, none came as close to as what Stella had shown him. It was almost as if she was using magic, something only a select few could wield. Regardless, he was wary of the girl, and to simply pass her up would've probably resulted in dangerous results.

"Follow me please." He motioned.

As the two made their way down the large halls, Stella couldn't help but admire the grand architecture displayed everywhere. From the walls to the pillars to even the hand painted ceilings above. It was art at it's finest. The deep red carpets that lined the halls added to the aesthetics, clearly the Headmaster had excellent tastes.

"I hope that this is not too overwhelming for you." Ozpin stated, attempting to strike up a conversation.

"You have no idea how excited I am! I always dreamed of becoming a Huntress when I grew up. That or settling for a quiet job in the city." Stella replied with full of energy.

"That's good to hear. Regardless of where your choices in life take you, I assure you Beacon Academy will do it's best to prepare you for the outside world," Ozpin assured her, "On a more personal note, may I ask a few questions regarding yourself?"

Stella paused and thought about wether or not she should comply, on the other hand it may generate even further suspicion about her due to the dodgy transcripts she used to get into this school.

"Sure, I'll do my best in answering your questions." Stella smiled.

"Your semblance, it's the most extraordinary one I have ever seen. It's almost as if it's magic; tell me dear, at what age did you unlock your semblance?"

Stella rubbed her chin as she recalled he memories, "Well, I can't really remember to be honest. I just remember one time I was under intense training and it just happened. Before I knew it I could do all these sorts of things."

"Interesting." Ozpin nodded slowly, "Anyway, we have arrived." He opened the door to her quarters.

Inside the furnished room sat a bed, desk, closet and cabinets and a bathroom. It seemed spacious for just one person but Stella didn't mind; at least it gave her room to practice some 'things' at the very least.

"Is this all for me?" She asked in a surprised tone.

"Why yes, since the dorms are relatively full you shall reside here instead. Conveniently it is placed near the major classrooms and the cafeteria. You'll also receive a monthly allowance from the school like everyone else to spend on whatever necessities you may require over the course of your stay. If there's anything else you may need, just dial any of the emergency numbers and a staff member will be on their way to help."

"I-I don't know what to say…" Stella stammered as she wasn't expecting such hospitality.

"No need to thank me, you have proven to me that you have the skills to become fully fledged Huntress. The best thing I can do is make sure this school sees to it that your skills are refined and better honed in for the real world." Ozpin declared, his eyes full of hope.

"You really think I have what it takes to be a Huntress huh?" Stella cocked her head to one side.

"I sure do, now then I have other urgent business to attend too. If you're wondering where the rest of your luggage is, it'll be delivered to your room shortly. In the meantime, do head back to Glynda's class and join her as you are now an official student. You do know the way back there yes?"

"Sure do."

"Very well, I'll be seeing you around then Miss Noxfell." Ozpin threw the keys to her room before taking off and leaving Stella to her own devices.

Stella couldn't help but watch the headmaster leave, something clawed at the back of her mind but she couldn't pinpoint what exactly. The air he gave off was something mysterious, the way he talked and eyed her was nothing shy of uncomfortable. Something was up and it definitely piqued her interest.

As soon as the headmaster was out of sight, she quickly dumped whatever belongings she had in her room and began scurrying around the area for any signs of suspicious activity. Pulling drawers out and over turning every bit of furniture, she found nothing so far. Letting out a frustrated groan, she rearranged everything back to its original state.

As she pandered around the room, she began placing her ear against the wall and knocked on it to see if it was hollow. Sure enough she was met with muffled sounds as the walls were solid concrete. It wasn't until she reached the door that she noticed something was amiss. When she first stopped outside the room, there was no spyhole visible let alone an actual hole for the user to see through to the outside world. Cautiously approaching the device, she gently fiddled with it until it came loose from its position.

Sure enough, her instincts were right as she held a crude, but effective, device in her hand. The design itself was fairly simple, with a built in transmitter and real time audio playback recorder to relay every single detail that would transpire in this room.

'Oh dear Headmaster Ozpin, what game are you playing at? I guess the fun stops here' Stella said aloud in her head before crushing the tiny device.

Throwing the remains in a nearby bin, she ran a brush through her hair before tying it up into a ponytail. Bringing only her weapons and a pen and notebook, she locked the door to her room before jogging to her new class.

* * *

The afternoon sunlight crept through the curtains that did its level best to shield Jaune from the outside world's wake up call. By now a solid ray had rested on Jaune's face prompting him to turn his head away from the bright source. By doing so, his luxury of drifting off to dreamland was interrupted and the young man was now wide awake.

"Fuck..." He groaned as he sat up slowly, "Wait, how did I end up in bed?" His voice bounced around the room in hopes of evoking an answer, "Oh wait, Ren dragged me back here earlier. That's right; I fell asleep in class and was too tired to even concentrate. I really owe Ren for dragging my sorry ass here."

As be tossed the blanket to one side, he spread the curtain apart and the full blown force of the afternoon sunlight came pouring into the once dimly lit room. Adjusting whatever bits of uniform he had, he styled his unkempt hair and straightened his blazer before walking out the room. Making sure the door was locked, the school bell screamed like an old goat high in the mountains which made Jaune cringe at the noise. Realizing that the bell signified it was lunch time, he felt his stomach growl in hunger.

"It's okay buddy, we'll get some food." Jaune patted his belly before walking off.

The trek out of the dorms and towards the cafeteria proved to be a quiet one as rarely any students from his year group or any other year group for the matter were present. Wondering if there was some sort of event going on, he decided to pick up the pace in case he was missing out on something important.

The cafeteria was densely packed as always with students scurrying about carrying their share of food. Voices overlapped with each other as conversations varied from table to table. Be it gossips, school matters or other forms of discussions, the walls of the cafeteria always heard them first before any other part of the school did.

As Jaune stood in the doorway, he saw that the middle column tables were being swarmed by students from his year group and from other levels as well. Raising a brow, he heard questions being thrown around and a familiar voice answering it to the best of its abilities.

Slowly walking up to the large crowd, he saw Ren lingering amongst the outer parts and tapped his shoulder to garner his attention.

"Welcome back, I take it you slept well?" Ren asked.

"Like a rock, sheesh I never knew I was that sleep deprived," Jaune stretched out his arms, "What's all this commotion, is someone famous here?"

"That I cannot answer. All I can say is, take a look for yourself. She's a new student here and she put on quite a show for us at the training hall. Even Headmaster Ozpin was impressed." Ren offered a friendly smile.

"Jaune?!" The familiar voice called out to him.

Turning to the source, he knew it was too good to be true. Of course he knew his partner would be enrolling into Beacon sometime soon. What he was unaware of was that he didn't expect her to do it the day after recommending the idea to her.

"Hey…..Stella…" Jaune gave an awkward smile.

"It's good to see you again!" She beamed happily like a child.

"You two know each other?!" The large crowd asked in shock as all eyes were now on the two of them.

"Yeah…" Jaune smiled wryly as he scratched the back of his head.

"How long have you two known each other?" Nora asked eagerly.

"That is a bit too sudden Nora." Jaune rolled his eyes before taking a seat at the table.

"Okay everyone, I think it's getting a bit crowded over here. Move along and return to your own businesses!" Jaune barked.

As the people dispersed, rumours spread like wildfire and unwanted glares flew in their direction as they expected more to happen.

"Excuse me a moment while I get my lunch." Jaune said to Stella before pulling away from the table.

As the canteen staff served whatever they had on the menu, Jaune decided to go with some carbonara to satisfy his cravings for pasta. Returning to the table, Stella smiled warmly as she waited for him to sit down.

"You know, I was expecting you show up." He began while digging his fork into the food.

"Yeah, I know. Well now I'm here!" She beamed.

"What I wasn't expecting was for you to show the next bloody day though." Jaune grimaced as he ate.

"Silly Jaune, you know I can't stay separated from you for long. Besides, now that I'm here we're much closer now." Stella said before eating a spoon full of ice cream.

As Jaune was about to take another mouthful, he paused and listened to the sound of the cafeteria. Usually a place like this would've been filled with chatter and laughter, but all he heard was a few conversations from far away tables. Looking around he saw that many eyes were staring in their general direction, even team RWBY and his teammates were all looking at him in curiosity. Nora in particular held a boom mike above them with an audio recorder around her waist.

"Excuse me, some privacy please?!" Jaune said aloud which prompted everyone else to resume their original activities.

"My my, we sure are the talk of the class." Stella purred.

"Maybe because the new student seems to be very close with the dodgy student who fails to pay attention in class?" He suggested.

"Hmmm, so the rumours are true? Sheesh, perhaps you should lay off the wo-"

Before Stella had a chance to finish, Jaune put a finger over her mouth as to avoid spilling any more details about his 'outside' activities.

"Have you forgotten where we are?" Jaune hissed lowly.

"Just kidding, I knew you'd stop me. Besides, I think you need to take a break. Catch up on your studies, you can do that right?" Stella gave a shit eating grin.

"Honestly, you're just here to tease me for your own pleasures sake." He rolled his eyes.

"You know me so well." She chuckled softly to which Jaune merely smiled.

By the time the two had finished eating, almost half an hour had passed and they still had another half hour of lunch left. Seeing the opportunity to spend some alone time with Jaune, Stella quickly grabbed his hand and led him out of the room hastily.

"Umm guys, did you see Jaune and Stella leave?" Ruby asked as she pointed at the empty seats.

"How in the…?" Pyrrha stared in confusion as she swore she had an eye on the just moments ago.

"They left! Oh this spells more gossip and rumours!" Nora pumped a fist in the air.

"Seems Vomit boy is keeping secrets. Guess he's just terrible at keeping some." Yang said with a grin.

"I guess none of us was expecting to be hit by that sudden revelation." Ruby said while playing with her food.

"Indeed." Pyrrha murmured softly as she felt uneasy of the whole situation. The fact that Stella seemed suspicious to her from the get go only added more worry to her about Jaune.

* * *

"Is this where you usually hang out?" She asked curiously.

"Sometimes, I don't normally come here. But when I do it's usually for me to take my mind off things."He explained before sitting down underneath the tree.

"May I join you?" She asked kindly.

"Do you need to ask? I'm pretty sure with no one else around you can do whatever you like without being judged."

As Stella took the hint, she gently lay down and rested her head on Jaune's lap. Letting out a yawn, her eyes met with Jaune before giggling and pushing his face away.

"What was that for?" He asked in confusion.

"Nothing, I guess it's just a habit that's all," She sang happily. "Anyway, is it true you're struggling with school?" Her face was riddled with concern as she looked at him.

Jaune sighed heavily as he rested a hand on Stella. Leaning his head back, he knew yesterday's contract really threw him off from school and sooner or later Oobleck, Port or Glynda was going to come after his ass.

"Yeah, it's just that I have been relying on my teammates a lot to cover my back while I pass out from sleep deprivation. Add to the fact that I've been lagging behind in class because I have little to no time to submit the work that was given out."

He felt sharp sting across the side of his face as Stella sat upright next to him. "You idiot! What gave you the bright idea to accept these contracts if you knew it was going to affect your performance at school!" She glared angrily at him, disappointment written all over her face, "Are you trying to get yourself kicked out of here? You just told me last night that you wanted to try living a normal life, are you trying to ruin that chance?"

Out of all the things Jaune would do, he merely grinned and shook his head slowly. A happy sigh escaped his mouth as he relaxed his head on the tree trunk. "Yes I get your point, yes I know I was an idiot for not telling you about my conflicting schedule. Yes the decisions I made were fairly poor and it hasn't helped me one bit. I am well aware of my decisions Stella and I was a fool to not give them a second thought," His voice full of acknowledgement as he looked her dead in the eyes, "Perhaps the slap itself brought me back to reality. I guess I should find out whatever assignments I have to do in order to avoid getting kicked." He groaned at the thought of staying up late again doing work.

"What am I going to do with you?" Stella rubbed her forehead as she wondered how Jaune would pull through.

"By the way, how did you know I was struggling with school?" He asked with a raised brow.

Stella put a finger to her chin as she recalled where she exactly picked it up from, "Oh, I overheard that red head chick in your team talking about you when I was walking down the hall towards the cafeteria." She replied.

"Wait, you mean Pyrrha? Ah crap, I've really dug myself into a pit now." He moaned while covering his face with his hands. Jaune knew that with Pyrrha getting all worked up over him, she and the entire team is going to corner him one of these days and gouge the truth out of him about his late night outings.

"Why, what's the matter? Is she causing you trouble? If she is, can I break her legs?"

Jaune gave a shocked look at Stella as if he heard a piece of Nora within her, "You know, I have a feeling you and Nora are going to get along in the future."

"Ohhh, so that's the crazy girl's name. She seems like a cool person."

"Nora? Crazy? I won't argue with you on that. But the girl sure is fun to have around."

"Sounds to me you've been making some good friends. I'm happy for you; you've made quite the start here at Beacon. I'd hate to see it get thrown out the window." Stella said with a smile.

Jaune's massaged his left cheek as the slap Stella gave earlier left quite the mark, "Heh, I won't waste it, promise. And you're right; it would be a shame to lose everything now."

"Sorry about the slap, I felt that I needed to do something to wake your delusional ass up," She said with full honesty, "May I?"

"Oh, sure," Jaune hesitantly said before removing his hand. Before he knew it, he felt a soft peck on his cheek followed by a soothing sensation that lasted for a while.

"You seem a bit surprised? Consider it a healing touch, at least people won't question that mark on your face." She giggled.

"Sure, can't stir up more of a commotion than you already have." Jaune responded cynically.

"You can't blame me, after all I wasn't expecting people to be watching my performance," A smug look filled her face. "Which reminds me, that headmaster seems like trouble."

"How so?"

"I found a recording device in my room. Etched into the spyhole of the door. Unfortunately whoever installed it did a shoddy job as it was fairly easy to seek out."

"Really now? I would agree with Ozpin being a shady character, but this? This raises the bar even further."

"I have a feeling there's more to this school than meets the eye. Do you want to find out what he's hiding in that office of his?"

"Nah, I'll pass, can't be too serious anyway. I wouldn't be surprised if he was engaged in some underground business and sorts. Anything beyond that is something I wouldn't want to get involved in unless there's a reason so otherwise."

"Fine, if you say so," She rolled her eyes before pausing for good few seconds while looking at Jaune, trying to find the right words to say, "So are you going to stop? All the contracts, the offers and deals? No more using your abilities for dirty work?"

Jaune scoffed at the question, "I wouldn't say stop. I highly doubt I'll stop taking a few contracts here and there. Maybe something like picking small time contracts that doesn't require much. I would like to try and use my abilities for something else other than killing," He shot a quick glance at her, "And you? Will you do the same?"

Stella scratched her cheek while pondering at the question, "Perhaps I'll give it a shot. Highly doubt I'll succeed in the long run. Doesn't hurt to try though, I'm excited to what sort of results will be produced."

"Alright then, fair enough," Jaune groaned before standing up, "Let's bail, we have five minutes left before the siren goes. Next class is going to be social studies and that's run by Oobleck, you're going to like him."

"Ughhh, that means I'll have to get my notebook and pen." Stella rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"Lazy bum." He snickered.

Responding to that remark, Stella quickly jabbed her elbow into Jaune's side causing him to pull away and groan in pain. The amount of curse words flowing from his mouth was enough to merit him detention time if any of the teacher's caught whiff of it.

"Was that necessary?!" He glared daggers at her while returning to her side.

"You deserved that!" She shot back while hugging his arm, "Apologies for my rash behaviour yet again."

"Lord give me strength for this perilous journey." Jaune mumbled quietly under his breath.

"Did you say something?" Stella asked.

"Hmm? Oh nothing, just talking too myself."

"Okay…." She replied in an unconvinced tone.

The trip back to the dorms was something people would describe as odd if you were seeing it from their perspectives. Normally Jaune was considered the lazy ass since negative rumours about him not completing any assignments while failing to turn up to class reached the far corners of the academy's walls. To top it off, the first thing people would assume Jaune to be was a loner. That all broke when students witnessed he and Stella walking down the hallways like some happy couple turning a blind eye to the world's problems. Sure enough it didn't take long for the gossips to spread like wildfire to every corner in the building.

"You know your way around the school right?" Jaune asked before departing from Stella.

"I wouldn't say it's anything solid. But I've got a decent layout. See you at class!" Stella waved goodbye before taking off like a little kid.

Watching her fade into the distance, the young man couldn't help but smile as he realized what sort of person Stella was underneath that disguise of hers. Yet the emotions she displayed around him were nothing short of genuine happiness. Truly she would continue the happy interactive facade during the coming weeks as she adjusts to the school's environment. But how long it'll remain a facade and transition into actual feelings is something that was best left to be seen.

"Here you go, some notes I took for you while you were absent. No homework from Port or Glynda yet. But I wouldn't hold your breath around Oobleck." Ren explained while handing him a small binder full of notes.

"Thanks Ren, I owe you again." Jaune bumped his shoulder slightly.

"No need to repay the favour. I'm just doing what I can to help a teammate in need." Ren smiled.

"There you are Jaune!" Pyrrha exclaimed as she came through the door.

"Oh, Pyrrha. This is unexpected, did something happen?" He wore a surprised look.

"You owe us an explanation Jaune. For the past few weeks now you've been slacking off far too much. You haven't shown up to training, always fall asleep in class and to top it all off, you have the audacity to come back late at night sometimes even in the early morning as if it were a normal routine," Pyrrha's breathing stabilized as she spoke without taking any breaths. She took a deep breath and calmly resumed, "Jaune, if there's something bothering you, or if you have some sort of problem you can't deal with. Please tell us, we're here for you, all of us." She gestured towards Ren and Nora who offered their smiles.

'Oh Oum, I knew this sort of shit would happen. What the hell do I do now?!' Jaune cursed at himself while keeping a straight face towards his teammates, "Look guys," He began slowly, "I appreciate what you're trying to do for me. Really, and I'm sorry if I've caused you a lot of worry lately. But to be honest, there's somethings that you just have to do your own. I am grateful that you guys are trying to help, but I need to see this to the end, by myself."

The tension in the room remained uneasy as his team members gave him a concerned look. Pyrrha most notably gunned him down with an unconvinced look, as if she wasn't going to let the problem go.

'Fuck, I am terrible at lying. I am real sorry that I have to lie to you guys, but you're just not ready to know the truth at all.' Jaune said in his head.

As the silence lingered on, Jaune feared that he had created an even wider gap of distrust between him and his teammates and fucked up his situation even further than before. He hoped that whatever came next was something bearable or else he would accept the fact that his team downright disliked him, which was something he felt he deserved.

A heartfelt sigh came from Pyrrha who broke the silence, "It's fine Jaune. I understand, we understand," She said while looking towards Ren & Nora who nodded in approval, "If you say that this is something you need to face alone, then we won't interfere. We're just worried about you that's all. But please Jaune, whatever you're doing isn't helping you in school. At this rate you're going to get kicked out."

Jaune sat upright and smiled at his teammates, "Thanks guys, really, I appreciate the concerns. And don't worry, I'll sort things out at school. Your Fearless Leader isn't going down that easily!" He patted his chest.

"Alright! Our leader is back!" Nora cheered.

"Technically he hasn't gone anywhere." Ren rebutted her statement.

"Silly Ren, it's an expression, learn to keep with the times!" She shook him wildly.

"I am seriously confused." He wore a confused look as Nora gently pushed him out the door.

Right on cue, the bell rang and students idling about the dorms rushed down the halls in order to get to class on time.

"Come on Ren!" Nora urged him happily as they disappeared out the door.

"Come on team leader, you don't want to be late now do you?" Pyrrha nudged his foot as she walked by him.

"On it." He groaned before gathering his needed supplies.

As he approached the door, Pyrrha waited eagerly at the side for him with a subtle smile on her face. Stopping near the exit, he looked at her as if she had something to say.

"You know, we're always here for you Jaune. Doesn't hurt to ask for help once in awhile or if you need to talk."

"Thanks Pyrrha, you really do look out for the team. I appreciate that."

"Helping the leader as best I can," She beamed, "Hate to break it to you, but it seems someone left a mark on your face." Her laugh filled the room as she held up a small mirror to show Jaune what she meant.

Sure enough, there was kiss mark on his cheek that had been lingering there for quite some time now. Quickly erasing the mark, he knew there was only one person behind that and it was no wonder people gave him those even weirder glances earlier.

"Argh, not funny." He grumbled.

"Cute." Pyrrha said under her breath while giggling softly. Although her reaction seemed somewhat forced.

"Can we go now?" He urged while walking out the room.

* * *

Oobleck's class was filled with hyper active discussions as he zipped around the room talking about the formation of the four kingdoms to the great Faunus War. Occasionally he would take a sip from his caffeinated steroid red bull injected coffee to keep the hype vibe going and keep the students interested. It was also partially thanks to Weiss, Pyrrha and Stella who answered majority of his questions that saved Jaune from being picked on as he knew little to nothing about the topic and had half a book to go through to catch up on things. Before long the class had ended and everyone was to hand in a three page essay by tomorrow's class. All of which incited displeased groans and moans from half the class.

"What now?" Stella asked while gathering her things.

"I'm guessing after school training is cancelled since we all have homework to due in. Which is even better for me since I need to catch up on other shit." Jaune replied as he stood up next to her.

"So, you going with your teammates?" She asked curiously, a slight hint in her tone that she didn't want him to go.

"Honestly, I don't mind if it's with you or them or by myself. I just want to get this work done and over." He replied.

"Hey Jaune, hey Stella!" Nora chirped as he joined in, "We're all heading off to the library to smash out this essay. Wanna come?"

"Sure, was just thinking of heading there as anyways." Jaune said.

"Sweet, and you Stella?"

"Sure, I'll tag along."

"Alright!" Nora said excitedly before running off.

"Oh boy, this is going to be fun. First time doing homework, I'll probably screw this up."

Jaune scoffed at her statement, "Are you even listening to yourself? You competed with Weiss and Pyrrha in terms of answering Oobleck's questions. Look at me, I had zero knowledge on what you guys were talking about."

"You never bothered to pay attention to our history didn't you? Unlike you, I actually go and bother keeping up with the times. Come on Jaune, step your game up." Stella said in a mocking manner.

"You challenging me now?" He crossed his arms

"You bet I am!" She gave a shit eating grin.

"Oh it's on!" Jaune declared.

With that, the two of them gathered their remaining belongings and raced out of the classroom. Determined to beat each other, they took slightly faster steps and delved straight into some borrowed text books while making notes of their own. Behind them lagged the other group memebers who could only watch and speculate what they were up too.

"You jelly?" Nora wore a shit eating grin as she nudged Pyrrha.

"Wha-?!" Pyrrha said with visible confusion as the action nearly made her drop her textbooks.

"Come on, you're jelly aren't ya? The fact that someone is already wooing Jaune over. Better step your game up Pyrrha!" Nora squealed as she shook her teammate wildly.

"Nora!" Pyrrha yelled as she struggled to push her off, "And no, I don't see Jaune in 'that' manner. He's merely a good friend and a leader full of potential. That's all." She boldly said.

"You're still jelly." Nora grinned as she jumped away to avoid a swipe from the red head.

As they entered the confinement spaces of the library, Jaune and Stella wasted no time and dashed off to wherever their senses lead them too. Eager to begin their work, they snatched the largest table in the room and reserved the other seats for the remaining members. Pen in hand and paper on the desk, books flew open at the flick of finger as the two of them got delved deeper into the history of Remnant all for the sake of writing a Oum damn essay. As the others joined them, they gave an impressed look as Jaune and Stella was buried nose deep into their research and studies, crafting their well formulated thesis statements and arguments.

"This, is unusual." Weiss whispered softly as she took a seat next to Ruby.

"The new girl seems fired up as well. She's almost like you Weiss." Ruby snickered.

"No not that, Jaune is actually studying. I didn't think the pack mule had the motivation to pick up a book." Her words harsh and blunt.

"That's kinda pushing it Weiss, maybe he just needed some inspiration and maybe the new girl gave him that."

"At least the new girl knows what she's doing, finally someone who takes studying seriously for once. I like that sort of attitude." Weiss said in a pompous tone.

"Ahem, I still exist." Pyrrha raised a hand with a scowl on her face.

"Sorry Pyrrha, I didn't mean to leave you out." Weiss quickly apologized.

"But what about me Weiss? Don't I take studying seriously?" Ruby clamoured on as she tried to grasp the Heiress' hands.

"Ruby you dolt, get off me!" She hissed.

"Why is it whenever we decide to meet up and do a study period together it's always these two causing a ruckus?" Yang asked while amusing herself at the bickering that unfolded before her.

"Can we get this done and over please, I'd like to go back to the sweet warm comforts of the room that radiates home." Nora said while her mind drifted off elsewhere.

"I agree with Nora on this, we all agreed to come here and do our work. Let's actually do some work." Pyrrha chimed in.

Giving a quick glance down the table, Pyrrha noticed that Jaune and Stella were unfazed by the events that happened around them. Surely Ruby and Weiss bickering in the corner would've disrupted them, but no, instead they stayed on track like reality didn't even matter to them anymore.

"It's good to see you taking things seriously again Jaune. Let's see you keep that up," Pyrrha said to herself as she found herself staring at the blonde haired teen.

For the next few hours or so, conversations were exchanged briefly either about Oobleck's assignment or about other topics. Papers would find themselves on opposite ends of the table as multiple eyes referenced works for information or as a source of inspiration. Jaune and Stella would rarely converse save for the occasional critic and feedback they would give to their fellow classmates who handed them work.

Before long the sun had set and the night hours crept up onto the studying teenagers. By now team RWBY had already finished their work and packed up early to do their own 'activities' while team JNPR stayed behind for a little while longer.

"Jaune, are you sure you're going to stay here until closing hours? You don't have to learn every topic you've missed out on in one evening." Pyrrha suggested to him.

The blonde haired teen merely looked past his book and wore a warm smile, "It's fine Pyrrha, I just feel like it's necessary for me to do this."

A loud yawn escaped from Nora's mouth as she put her feet up on the large mahogany table, "Can we go now Pyrrha? I'm sure Jaune can find his way back to the dorm."

Glancing at Ren, he was fast asleep on the table with a book slumped over his unkempt hair. Deciding it was best for them to head back to the dorm, she accepted Nora's request, "Very well Nora, we'll start heading back now."

"See you guys in a bit." Jaune waved as they left the table.

"Likewise Jaune." Pyrrha waved back as she exited the room.

Shortly after they left, the book Stella was reading dropped from her hands while she let out a long sigh.

"I'm beat." Stella groaned while stretching her arms.

"At least we finished that damn essay a few hours ago. Now it's a matter of catching up on lost time." Jaune said while rubbing his eyes.

"I'm going to get some coffee, you want some?" She asked while standing up.

"Sure, why not?" He replied mid yawn.

As she left the room, a small groan escaped his mouth before burying his head into the text book. Taking a big whiff of the scented papers, the aroma calmed him down almost forcing his body to shut down. Within a few minutes Stella came back with two plastic cups of steaming hot coffee.

"Thanks," He nodded at her while taking his share.

As they both sat in silence and drank their drinks, the atmosphere of the empty library added to the calming sensation.

"I don't want to continue this anymore. I'm beat and the coffee is not helping. Normally I would be fine staying up for a whole day, but somehow staring at words drains me." Her face collapsed onto the book in front of her.

A small chuckle escaped Jaune's mouth as he watched his partner, "I think we can call it day. We did go over board, but I'd say we covered most of the lessons discussed."

"We? Wasn't it you who needed to catch up? I just got here." Stella replied in an offended manner.

"True, but you also need to catch up on lessons you've missed. The teacher's aren't going to hold your hands you know."

"Just like how life didn't bother to hold our hands when it beat us with its shitty stick. Fun times indeed."

"Heh, also true."

With a final yawn escaping her mouth, Stella pushed herself up from the table packed her belongings, "Would you mind returning the books for me?"

"Sure, pass 'em here." Jaune held out his hands to catch the heavy objects.

As he drank the last drops of his coffee, he threw the light object across the room and scored a perfect shot in the bin. Smiling like an idiot at his accomplishment, he returned to his task at hand and rearranged the borrowed books in their respective places. Upon returning to his table, his belongings had been packed away neatly into his bag by courtesy of his best friend.

"Come on, let's go." She urged him while waiting at the door way.

"Be patient will ya?" He replied while picking up his bag.

Joining her at the door, they left the room briskly and avoided walking loudly in order to not garner attention from unwanted teachers and students.

"Walk me to my room pleaseee." She begged while hugging his arm.

"Sure, sure. Like I could say no anyway." Jaune said.

"Yay." She cheered softly.

Before he knew it, Stella had fallen asleep on his arm and he had no choice but to carry her back to her dorm room. He prayed to the Oums above that no one saw them and that was the last thing he needed. Thankfully though, he managed to find her dorm with little effort thanks to Stella answering his questions about directions.

"Here we are." He said as he set her down.

"Ahh, thanks for your help. I kinda feel bad for using you to ferry me all the way here." She said while unlocking her door.

"Hey, anything for a good friend." Jaune said proudly.

"Carry me to the bed please." She said nonchalantly.

Rolling his eyes, he picked up the lazy girl she was and carried her into the room. As the door mysteriously closed behind them, he set her down on the bed only to find her fast asleep again. Sighing softly, he adjusted the blanket and tucked her in properly before readying himself to leave.

Just as he was about to move away, he felt something soft tug on his arm. Turning towards the source, a half awake Stella pouted as she gestured him to come closer.

"What is it now?" He asked before leaning in closer.

"Don't leave." She whispered.

"You kidding? I'm only going to be in my dorm, not like I'm leaving for good though." He said.

"No, just don't go. I need you…." She said slowly while raising a hand to caress his cheek.

As he stared into her eyes, the low moonlight lit up all sorts of feelings and emotions within her. They were so close together that their breathing could be felt by both parties. A part of Jaune wanted to go, but his body wouldn't let him, he wanted to stay with her. As he stared into her eyes once more, they begged him to not leave, like they would shatter without his presence.

"Gee, it's been awhile since we've been this close." Stella giggled softly.

"You didn't have to bring that up." Jaune rolled his eyes.

"Oh shut up already." She said before pulling him in to seal the deal.

* * *

The morning sun seeped in through the gaps of the curtain and the sounds of birds vigorously chirping away in the background gave way to a new morning. As he lay on the hard sturdy ground, Jaune let out a tired groan before hauling himself up. Running a hand through his untidy hair, gazed around the near empty room in hopes of remembering where he was. Hearing the sounds of a softer feminine yawn, he turned to the source only to be surprised. Recognizing Stella rising from the bed, her hair was a dead mess but what was more concerning were the 'questionable' pyjamas she wore to bed.

"Sleep well?" Jaune asked the tired girl.

"Like a baby? And you?" She returned the question.

"Well, as you can I see I ended up on the floor. That already tells you enough." He stretched his arms out to emphasize his situation.

"Seems you forgot to tell Pyrrha you weren't going to return to your dorm." Stella smirked.

"Ah shit!" Jaune frantically said as he ran around the room in nothing but his shorts.

* * *

 **And that concludes that. See y'all next chapter!.**

 **Yours faithfully**

 **ZafkielRagnarov~**


	3. Chapter 2: Stealth & Awe

**Hello there! I have returned with another chapter for you guys. By lord was this hectic and with the plans I have for the upcoming arcs, it's bound to become even worse.**

 **I won't waste your time any further, read on and I hope you enjoy. Peace!**

* * *

The air felt heavy as Jaune slowly paced around the room. His breath escaping his mouth every now and then while his eyes locked onto his target across the room. Crocea Mors drawn, he gripped the blade firmly with both hands and held himself back for the right time to strike. His opponent was none other than Stella herself, one of the most sought after assassin in Remnant, yet is a student here at Beacon Academy.

Adorning her casual battle attire, Stella sported a white dress with a black bust followed with a pair of stylised boots to complete the look. For Jaune he merely wore his jumper and some casual pants to fit the trendy casual training session.

"You never bothered to tie your hair before." Jaune commented.

"I felt like doing for this session. You like it?" Stella asked as she patted the simple ponytail hairstyle she had done up before the match.

"I think it suits you, makes you a look fierce." He winked.

"Typical." She rolled her eyes.

"What, I'm just saying you look good." He shrugged his shoulders.

"Appreciate the compliment, but we have other things to do right now such as training."

"Ah right, I haven't forgotten." He licked his parched lips before readying a strong stance.

Before he knew it, Stella had appeared right in front of him like a lightning bolt. Moving his sword to anticipate the blow, he was met with the exact opposite as she ducked low and executed a sweep kick. Throwing him off balance, he landed on his ass the next moment with loud yelp.

"Stance is too wide, feet aren't firmly planted and your reflexes are shit," She bluntly said, "Boy have you got ways to go before you're putting that sword near any Grimm."

"Piss all." Jaune grumbled as he hauled himself back up.

"You'll get there eventually sweet heart, you just have to practice and practice until you get it right."

"You're right there, I guess it'll take awhile for to get used to this whole sword play. Not my style but I'll warm up to it eventually."

"Shall we go again?" Stella offered.

"Gladly, I'm not about to give up right now." Jaune nodded.

As they raised their weapons again, Jaune checked his footing to make sure he wouldn't get taken down so easily again while making predictions where Stella would strike next. Circling around the room slowly, he studied her movements as a means to gain the upper hand since he was outclassed in every aspect other than being unpredictable.

As his breath escaped his mouth, Stella dashed forward with incredible speed in order to close the gap between them. Raising his sword at the right moment, he blocked her blades and the sound of metal clashing together filled the room. Breaking away, she came in again and swiped at him from various angles as to break his guard. But his defence did not falter as he managed to block all the blows in quick myriad succession.

As the fight dragged on, Jaune couldn't help but notice how beautiful his partner was. As he attempted to avert his mindset back to the fight, it was a lost cause as he suddenly began indulging in the beauty that stood before him.

Her silver hair swayed smoothly as she took rapid movements, almost mesmerising to say the least. The ample amount of sunlight that came in through the window illuminated room just enough to make her fair complexion stand out. Her blue eyes would always be filled with ferocity yet it also displayed kindness and love. Truly she was majestic, but thoughts like these were enough to prove Jaune dead in an actual fight if he started getting captivated by his opponent's appearance.

Still stuck in his day dreaming segment, Stella's boots filled his view before he even had a chance to predict what was coming next. The next moment, he felt the force a truck slamming into his face as her boots were firmly planted onto him as a result of not paying attention and simply staring in admiration. The sound of Jaune screaming for help and flying halfway across the room was music to Stella's ears as a means for punishing her partner.

"My back….." He groaned.

"Next time, do pay attention to what's going on. I would hate it for you to stare in awe at another girl's face during combat," She folded her arms in disappointment, "Sheesh Jaune, you're really going to get your ass handed to you if you keep this up."

"I know, I know. Don't have to remind me." He said while standing up.

"Again?"

"Definitely."

"Alright, you feeling it this time? Think you can pull a win without getting distracted?"

"Oh yeah, you'll see."

"Can't wait!"

As the words rolled off her tongue, she dashed forward and swiped at Jaune from various angles to land a hit. Skilfully blocking her attacks, Jaune managed to time his blocks perfectly as to not allow her blades to slip past his sword. Thinking he had survived the first wave, he was proven wrong when one of her blades struck his lower left abdomen depleting his aura by a dangerous amount.

"Hey! Are you trying to kill me?!" He asked defensively while jumping away.

"Sorry sweetie, the world isn't going to give you a second chance. It's kill or be killed." She hissed before diving back into the fray.

Eying his Aura metre, he took extra careful steps in order to avoid sustaining another hit. Blade at the ready, their weapons clashed again and the sound of metal grinding against metal pierced his ears. Sparks flew wildly as they pushed against each other in this locked stalemate. Biting the bullet, he broke free from the locked contest and winded up for a counter attack. Initially going for a thrust, he used it to bait his opponent to dodge in a predicted manner so he could change his move mid swing in order to land a hit on the confused opponent.

Doing just that, Stella side stepped graciously to seemingly avoid the attack. As a smile formed on his face, he changed the angle of his blade and swung in the direction where Stella stood to land a solid hit.

*CLANG!*

The sharp sound of his sword being stopped dead its tracks filled the room. Glancing at the weapon, one of Stella's swords had stopped his weapon as if she knew he was going pull such a dirty move. A grin formed on her face and she planted a kiss on his cheek before kicking him in the chest to throw him off balance.

"Fuck!" He muttered while quickly regaining his balance.

Assuming his defensive stance again, he prepared himself for the next wave of attacks as Stella danced around him while unleashing a flurry of her attacks. Blocking and parrying for his life, he managed to sneak in a few counter attacks in hopes of hitting his target but were either blocked or didn't even land in the same post code.

Jaune knew he was shit when it came to swords, but he wasn't going to let that stop him in doing his best. He was determined to beat his opponent, determined to use this piece of family pride as it was the only thing he had to remind him of home. And most of all, signifying his new start of becoming a huntsman.

*CLANG!*

*CLANG!*

Both parties traded heavy blows that rocked the room floor causing weapon stands to wobble and un-fastened weapons to fall from their racks. Within the next ten seconds the two fighters sped up their attacks and added more weight to their swings as each time their weapons clashed a small shockwave would emitted that would knock a full grown man over just by standing near the area.

*CLANG!*

*CLANG!*

*CLANG!*

Blades moving a ferocious speeds, it became a blur as the normal eye couldn't even comprehend what happened. Within a span of ten seconds they had traded more than thirty hits but it happened in an instant that only three sounds were produced. Gasping for air, sweat rolled down the sides of his face as Jaune controlled his breathing. He wondered how he was still alive, he wondered how even managed to keep up. He felt like collapsing and giving up, but his mind and will kept him going. Urging him to stand to the bitter end.

Stella's expression was nothing short of excitement and awe. Clearly on one hand she was enjoying this 'friendly' spar far too much. On the other she was surprised that Jaune managed to keep up even after all that crazy shenanigans they pulled earlier. Things were just about to get interesting.

Without muttering a single word, both of them dashed towards each other and exchanged even more hits. Missing a few blocks here and there, Jaune ignored the pain as his aura was depleted even further into the near danger zone. Pushing onward, he tried his best to push the pain out of his mind and focused on defending while trying to land any sort of hit on his opponent. Seeing as this was getting him nowhere, he decided to pull the unexpected card and spun around while ducking low. Attempting to hit her legs with his blade, he knew she would dodge the attack and follow up with a brutal counter attack.

Watching Stella leap high into the air, he waited for the right moment to pull his trump card in order to gain the upper hand as those few precious seconds could decide the entire outcome of this battle. Watching her come down like a bullet, his left hand quickly reached for his sheath and deployed the shield variant to block the attack.

Bracing himself for the impact, he felt the force of a train smashing into his shield the next moment as Stella's swords collided with the surface of his shield. The force exerted was so strong that the ground beneath Jaune's feet cracked and gave way to his feet, making him sink into the earth.

Executing the next part of his plan, he guided his shield over head as to prompt Stella into jumping over head. Seeing that she did just that, he wasted no time in turning around and did a mad charge to topple her over. Sword raised, he seemed eager to land a blow only for his weapon to stop mid swing as it collided with his opponent's blades. Timing his movement, he parried a blow from Stella's other sword and hastily knocked the weapon out of her hands by bashing his shield on her arm.

Seeing her gaze avert away from his, he broke contact from her other blade and raised his sword high enough so that the tip of the blade was against her neck. Thinking he had forced her into submission, he was proven wrong as Stella had pulled the same move and now her blade was dangerously close to his neck, just a few millimetres shy from his Adam's apple to be precise.

He gazed into her eyes and she gazed back, both of them determined to make the other party surrender through intimidation. Jaune could see the eyes of death itself staring back at him, as if Stella was the one it chose to harvest his soul. The thought of his partner running a blade through him sent shivers down his spine. If he was being honest with himself, he was more worried about what would happen to his corpse after he had been stabbed several times to the point it was mutilation.

"So, where do you want to take this?" Stella finally broke the silence between them.

"A draw? I would gladly take that over a defeat." He smirked.

"A draw it is then," She agreed before pulling her blade away swiftly and sheathing it, "You held out quite well, I'm impressed. A bit of back alley movement here and there, quite brutal against the average joe."

"Thanks, couldn't have done it without your help though. I really do owe you a-"

Without warning Jaune was cut off from finishing his sentence as Stella pulled him in for a soft passionate kiss. His knees felt like they were about give way from the sudden act, almost mesmerising or hypnotic to say the least. As he felt her pull away, she licked her lips as a way of savouring the taste of his. For a moment she stood there and eyed him before giggling.

"What? What's so funny?" He asked.

"You just look so funny whenever I kiss you out of the blue," She chuckled before tapping his chest, "Come on, training isn't over just yet."

"You serious?" He groaned.

"Oh yes, and by the way we've been offered a contract."

"By who?" He asked curiously.

"A long time standing syndicate in Vale. We're familiar with 'Romeo' yes?"

"How could I forget those two? Last time we saw them they were trying to kill us!"

"Well, who wouldn't try to kill you when you're robbing their warehouse full of valuable materials?"

"Still, I would hardly call that a good start. Back on topic though, what do they want with us?"

"Roman Torchwick has offered to pay us a large sum of Lien at the cost helping him pull off the biggest raid in history. He hasn't specified what he wants to raid, only coming off as wanting to pay for our services." Stella explained.

Jaune knew the relationship between he and Roman was a fine line of shoot to kill if they ever saw each other on the streets. Truly it was odd for the Romeo syndicate ring them up and offer a job. Something was off, but if Roman Torchwick was requesting for their aid with a reward then obviously this was going to end nowhere near as good.

"How much is he offering?" Jaune asked curiously.

"Two million lien."

He choked on his saliva upon hearing the amount. Surely Roman wasn't serious about shelling that large of a sum? If he is serious about the payment, what the hell was he exactly planning? For all Jaune knew, it could've been a bank heist or a train robbery bound for the neighbouring countries packed with supplies.

The offer was tempting indeed, and Jaune had just told himself that he would give this whole assassin mercenary business a break. All his life he had done things for money; here it was again, offering him another reward in exchange for doing something illegal and possible downright horrendous. Just what was the young man going to do?

"I know I'm going to be contradicting my ass about what I said before. But let's see what Roman has to say, see what we're up against. If it's reasonable, then I don't see why we shouldn't take up the offer." He said while his mind knew he was going to regret it later somehow.

Stella smiled happily as if she was receiving an early Christmas gift, "Knew you'd agree anyway so I accepted the offer. He said for us to meet him in some private warehouse in the downtown district."

"Oh lord, that place is just filled with the scum of the earth." Jaune spat at the ground, as if the spit embodied his thoughts about the people that populated the place.

"Wouldn't be surprised, after all the gangs down there pay the police themselves to look the other way while they conduct their illegal business as they please." A small scoff escaped her mouth as she thought about the rampant corruption.

Jaune scratched his cheek as he gathered his own understanding of the biggest cartel in Vale, "What were they called again, the Howlers? They're the top dogs of the area. Anyone below them is either subjugated as a puppet gang or cannon fodder. Anybody that opposes the Howlers usually ends up dead or worked to death as slaves if they're lucky."

"Their boss is Paolo, actually met him once. Shook his hand and that's about it. Says he's a people's person and everything he does is for the greater good of the community. Fucking ironic." Stella scoffed.

"And Roman Torchwick wants us to meet him at the heart of their territory," Jaune sighed loudly as he wondered what sort of mess the Romeo syndicate was getting themselves into, "If the howlers get whiff of Torchwick's presence it's game over."

"We'll find out when we get there now won't we?" Stella shot a wink at him.

"Shall we get ready then? It's a Friday today and school's about to finish anyway. Docks are going to be full as these students are no doubt going out into the city."

"No, we don't need to rush," Stella bit her lower lip before approaching Jaune slowly, her eyes full of lust like there's no tomorrow, "We got our own means of getting to Vale anyway pretty boy."

Jaune froze on the spot as Stella's hands grabbed his jumper, grip tighter than the locks sealing Vale's gold deposits. He could practically feel her breath on his neck, his hopes of resisting was futile as his cognitive processes shut down all the time whenever she would pull something off like this.

"Are you serious? Here, now?!" He grimaced.

"We still haven't completed our training session you know. Better finish what we started." She purred in his ear.

"Come on Stella, this is not 'training!'" He protested.

With a sharp jolt, he was thrown to the ground and looked helpless at the approaching Stella. Like a roach ready to be crushed under the boots of an enraged human. As her hands wrapped around his collar, she knelt down and ranked him closer.

"I want to ride you." She declared.

* * *

Pyrrha Nikos was exhausted both physically and mentally. Her assignments done and handed in for the week, and the usual high intensity training sessions with her teammates after class. She sighed in relief as the day came to a close, her mind and body could relax and she wouldn't have to worry about school for the next two days. Well, the thought of relaxing lingered throughout her head. But the fact that their team leader failed to show up to any of the practices save for Monday made her mind jog.

Of all the things, why the hell did Jaune Arc not show up to their sessions even after telling his entire team he'd get his shit together. How could she have let him off the hook so easily, was she too kind? Has Jaune somehow managed speech craft in order to talk his way out of anything? Oh the possibilities!

Pyrrha was more than upset, disappointed would be one of the terms but pissed was many of the other alternatives. But boy oh boy was she geared towards hunting down her dodgy team leader and bringing him in for a lecture.

The dark clouds that formed over Pyrrha could be seen by both Ren and Nora who hanged back as to not disturb the great warrior. Even though she may be kind most of the times, seeing her in this state warned Nora not to make silly puns or jokes.

"So Pyrrha, any plans for the weekends?" Nora asked in an attempt to strike up a conversation.

"None so far, haven't even planned past the point of going to sleep. I'll think of something to do though."

"Oh, okay then!" The Valkyrie cheerfully clapped her hands together.

"Jaune, I want to ride you!" Stella declared as her voice seeped through the large wooden doors.

Taken aback by the declaration, Pyrrha stared in shock as if she heard the most blasphemous thing in her life. Of course mating was a normal occurrence in life, but for the love of god please get a room and do it there. People actually use the rooms to train in, not spray their seedlings around for the janitors to clean up later.

She wasn't going to lie to herself at this point. Ever since she met Jaune she had started forming a crush on him only to grow into legitimate feelings. If only she was more honest with herself she could've had a chance at getting Jaune. But somehow this bitch came out of nowhere and his diminished her chances of getting a man she liked into nothing but zero.

Letting curiosity get the better of her, she pressed her ear against the door to eavesdrop on the commotion that unfolded beyond. What started of as soft grunts became louder until it reached a steady volume. She'd recognize that voice anywhere, but hearing it in this form certainly made Pyrrha feel different in other ways.

The intervals between Jaune's grunts was something like every two seconds. His voice was low and rough, like somehow she was listening to a beast instead. She could hear breathing, rapid breathing. One soft and low while the other was heavy and rough.

"Just go slowly, no need to rush. Its bad practice if you do that," Stella spoke again, "That's it, much better now. Nice and steady big guy."

Lewd thoughts flooded Pyrrha's mind as the event unfolded even further. Suffice to say, her face was bright red as the perverted thoughts were enough to make her friends question her sanity and fetishes. The whole scenario was too much for the red head to handle that her hands immediately turned the door knob and the large wooden door flung open.

Stumbling forward, she braced herself for the inevitable screams and throwing of the nearest items as her eyes fell upon the two beings. However, what Pyrrha expected was the direct opposite of what she saw.

"Hey Pyrrha, can we help you?" Stella asked her while sitting atop Jaune's back.

"What is….going on…?" Her voice stuttered while looking around in confusion.

"Nothing much, just training old Jaune here." She patted his back while he did his pushups.

"You seemed a bit flustered Pyrrha, something happen?" A grin spread across the girl's face.

"Me flustered? You must be confused!" A forced laugh escaped her mouth in an attempt to cover up her obvious lie.

"If you say so then."

There was an awkward silence between them while Jaune carried on his workout. The topless young man paid no heed if there was another person in the room, he was more or less keen on finishing his reps less he face the wrath of Stella Noxfell.

"I'll be going now….." Pyrrha finally broke the silence before closing the door on them.

"Well that was weird." Stella commented.

Outside in the halls, Pyrrha composed herself as opposed to the perverted monster she was a full two minutes ago. How could she have imagined such a scene. Perhaps she was just going mad, or maybe it was just her hormones kicking.

"So Pyrrha, did you enjoy the 'view'?" Nora gave a shit eating grin before dodging a swipe by the red head.

As the two girls ran down the hall, Ren could only sigh and follow as he wondered what dance moves he should break out for the upcoming party.

* * *

It was ten past eight by the time Jaune and Stella had prepared to leave Beacon. By now half the school had been vacated since students went out into the city to catch up or visit nearby family members for the weekend. Naturally at this hour, the roads leading to Vale would've been less congested as rush hour supposedly diminished an hour ago and the roads were fairly clear.

Getting their gear ready, he threw a small sized backpack full of alternate gear into the trunk of the car and closed it. Seeing that Stella had her own ways of storing her gear, he moved onto getting ready to depart as Roman Torchwick couldn't wait any longer for them.

"Got any contingency plans?" Jaune asked while loading the bullets into his revolver. Spinning the chamber, he pulled the hammer to signify the weapon was primed. Staring at Stella, he still awaited a response.

"Oh? Oh yeah right, a plan," She scratched her cheek before continuing, "Nothing comes to mind other than fleeing as fast as possible. That or beating the living daylights of every witness. I would prefer the former as the latter speaks too much work."

"Fair enough then, we ready?" He asked before placing the revolver in its designated holder.

"Yep."

Closing his door, he turned on the ignition to the sports car and the engine roared to life. Packing an odd firing 5.2L V10 engine, the custom made Sesto Elemento was nothing short of fast as it could make a trip down to Vale from beacon in less than five minutes. Releasing the hand brake, the car rolled forward slowly before his foot came down on the accelerator.

As the wheels spun madly, the V10 engine roared as the car shot forward like a rocket. Getting sucked into his seat, it was second nature to both Jaune and Stella as they owned this car for sometime now. Hand on the gear stick, he shifted into the next gear and so on until they were doing more than 250km/h down the highway.

As they cruised down into the busy city of Vale, it came as no surprise as other luxury cars prowled about the streets. People left and right eyed them as the car certainly drew their attention in.

Pulling up to some traffic lights, Jaune checked his mirrors to survey his current surroundings. The first thing he noticed was the Howler gang members walking about minding their own business. Other obvious sightings included a few other gangs related to the Howlers who patrolled their own territories.

"Seems the wolves are out in full force tonight." He smirked as a large group of Howlers walked by.

"What's the chances they're going to hook up with young teenage blood? Especially ones from our school."

Gazing into his rear view mirror, he watched as the large group entered a nearby bar filled with young teens that he recognized from the upper years at school, "Yeah, I'd say the chances are high."

As the lights turned green, he floored the accelerator and bumped the gear stick into third gear right away. Taking off in a hurry, he changed lanes as to gain access to a nearby road that lead to the warehouse Torchwick wanted to meet in. Executing a tight turn here and there, eventually they arrived at the place with little to no trouble. Driving the vehicle up the ramp, he parked it in the middle of the half empty ramp as the roller doors came down behind.

"Remember, if this fucker decides to pull some shady shit do not hesitate to put a bullet in his brain." Jaune said while removing his gun from the holder.

Stella only nodded in response before pulling her hood up and opening the door to leave the vehicle. Doing the same, he exited the vehicle before locking it in a fashionable manner.

A few metres from their position stood a man wearing a black bowler hat with his signature feather tucked into the red brand. Enjoying the cigar in his mouth, he leaned on the table as an amused smile spread across his face upon the arrival of the duo. Behind him sat a few boards littered with pictures and maps with arrows pointing in different directions indicating heavy planning for his operation.

"My, my. Stylish now aren't we?" Roman began as he pushed himself off the table.

"This is unusual of you Roman," Jaune shot back, "Last time we crossed paths I was robbing from you and we tried to kill each other."

A visible pain shot through his face at the mention of their previous encounter. Nonetheless, Torchwick pushed that encounter aside and resumed his duties, "Well, that was all in the past. How about we start anew, I know you enjoy getting paid for your work so I shall reward you greatly should you help me."

Jaune raised a hand to stop him, "Before anything else, what is this job you want us to do?"

The criminal stepped to one side and gestured for them to approach the table where his grand endeavours were laid out before them. Following his prompt, the duo slowly came forward and eyed several documents scattered about. From shipping manifest to delivery dates, trade routes and even people of high importance, Torchwick was sure serious about his work.

"Seeing as though you are the best assassins in Vale and perhaps across Remnant, I also speculate you have other fields you specialize in?" The gentleman raised a brow, a small chuckle came from him, "You don't have to hide it, I know a professional when I see one".

"Assassination contracts are our primary field of work, but it is true we do other professional tasks as well. Be it hired mercenary work or other roles that involve doing things illegal." Jaune nodded.

"Perfect then, I should assume you two are the perfect roles for this job then," Roman clapped excitedly while staring at the hooded male.

Jaune wore an annoyed look as he still hadn't been told what this job was all about and his patience was running thin, "You still haven't revealed any details about your plan. Start talking or else you won't get any help."

Roman gazed at the assassin with a foul look, "Alright fine, let's begin shall we?" He cocked his head to one side, "What you see behind me is the map to the largest piece of land owned by a foreign private company in all of Remnant. In case you haven't been catching up with the times, the only company that has enough power to do so is the Schnee Dust Company."

Stella piqued her head up in interest upon the mention of the renowned name, "Is this another raid in a bid to grow your empire through illegally acquired dust?"

"Nay sister, yes I would wish to obtain the dust to grow my fortunes. But you see I am currently engaged with a few business partners that requires this resource. In return, my colleagues are going to pay a hefty sum for the delivery of the resources while they go and manufacture to their hearts content with their newly acquired materials."

"Sounds to me like a black market type deal is going on here. And with dust follows weapons being manufactured to be sold to whatever state or country that wishes to gain an edge in this war against the Grimm and perhaps even to display their power and might." Jaune said.

"Well, something similar to that. What my partners do with the dust is none of my business. I get paid to deliver it and I pay you in return for allowing to acquire it hassle free." Torchwick rolled his cigar.

"Alright, sounds simple enough. What do you want us to do? Secure the location of where the dust is being stored and that's it? There's more isn't there?" Stella doubted the man.

The man took a puff from his cigarette before beginning, "You are precisely correct my dear, this isn't your run of the mill Schnee warehouse where it's guarded by private buffoons who can't aim their flashy guns for more than five seconds only to get taken down in the end by a monkey who can throw coconuts accurately."

"Oh, this is getting interesting. Do go on." Jaune said as the excitement rose in his voice.

As Roman's grin became bigger, he pulled a file out from behind his back and dumped whatever was inside onto the table. Photos upon photos littered the area with circles drawn over man of some importance.

"Here is an aerial view of the base," He tapped lightly, "The place itself is one that has sparked debates throughout both Vale and Atlas, frankly speaking, the international committee so to speak. You see, Papa Schnee has decided that in order to secure his dust, he somehow has managed to pull some strings with the Atlesian Military and now they are the one's protecting his precious cargo."

Jaune scoffed lightly, "I smell a tad bit of corruption here. That or the General in charge is as clueless as a fish in a parliament debate."

"We're coming up on the good part here. This place spans about three kilometre square," His gaze locked with the hooded figures as he noticed their surprised reactions, "Accessing both the ocean and land, it serves as the second largest port in Vale transporting Dust exclusively. Of course, the land has been divided into two sections. Half of it belongs to the storage and movement of Dust exclusively while controlling and maintaining port traffic, the other half acts as both training grounds and a base that houses military personnel and equipment that guard the dust."

"My god, it's a Forward Operating Base on its own right there. That amount of land alone is enough to house 300 to 1000 something soldiers ready to respond to any given threat." Jaune stated.

"All of that show of power and all they ever do is protect some man's investments. No wonder the government of Vale is paranoid, they have a foreign army right next door that could launch an attack any minute. And yet they're legally allowed to be there because it's technically private land. Better yet, Atlesian territory to be precise."

"Now do you see why I requested for your assistance? See this, this is what you'd expect to go up against while you're in there," Torchwick pointed at a few images containing giant robots, armoured soldiers and advanced combat robotics.

Stella and Jaune both looked at each other, none of them uttered a word but somehow shared the same thoughts in order to reach to an agreement. They both nodded at each other as a sign of approval to accept the deal.

"Alright then, we'll agree to your plan. Let's go rob a base shall we?"

Torchwick could only offer the biggest grin he could as he rested his palms on the table, "Now we're getting somewhere."

"What's this?" Jaune pointed at the armed mech.

"That's the military's new toy. They dub it the Paladin, it's their solution to combat the Grimm menace but frankly I think they designed it for other purposes."

"Got a number on the active units?" Stella asked.

"So far my intel reports about 7 active Paladin's. They stick to strict patrol path that covers nearly every foot of the base. They also like to be accompanied by a two man squad on their patrol routes every hour or so."

"Whoever these guys are, they sure take their jobs seriously even if they're grunts from the military." Stella said.

The man uttered a small click and took a deep breath, "There's a reason behind their well discipline behaviours, and that's where the second part of your job comes in," Torchwick slid the picture of a high ranking person forward, "This here is Loqi Tummelt, 3rd Commodore of the Atlesian Dragoon corps. He runs the show down there and is quite the talk back in Atlas so my sources say."

"What's he like?"

"From what I gathered he is quite brutal when it comes down to training his men. He expects nothing but the best performance and will force it down the throats of anyone who gets put into his division. I can see why Jacques Schnee hired this man's services as his military record displays outstanding results throughout his four year service."

"So now we get in and secure the dust containers while also dealing with a notorious military officer. To top it all off, the place is practically a live military playground that packs more firepower than Vale could ever dream of." Stella recapped.

"A challenge indeed, and oh boy do I love some challenges." Jaune rubbed his hands together with glee.

"I want to make this clear, I am hiring you two to secure this facility and getting rid of Loqi Tummelt. Doing that will not only net you your payment, but extra bonuses from me and my colleagues as a sign of gratitude. I don't care what methods you use, you could burn the whole place to the ground so long as the dust shipment remains intact and Loqi dead."

"Hold on a second here, this operation is bound to fuck up either way. I cannot guarantee the survival of all dust containers as the enemy commander may issue a scorched earth policy. Can you specify how much dust you need?" Jaune said.

Torchwick rolled his eyes in clear annoyance, "I need 100 tons of Dust. Each shipping container contains at maximum twenty tons. I figure you can solve the rest?"

"Yeah, I get it," Jaune nodded before staring at the map laid out on the table. Shifting his eyes from place to place, a well formulated plan formed in his head as a way to take assault the base while securing the dust containers. With a small tap, he gestured Stella over to take a look at the position on the map.

"Seems like an open plot of land to me, probably where they would park vehicles and execute drills during various hours of the day. Maybe even pitch some tents as their temporary barracks."

"Exactly, that's what makes this point so special. If we can create a diversion big enough, it would force majority of the security force over into the sector and away from the storage sector. That way it can buy our buddy Roman here enough time to extract the precious cargo."

"Speaking of extraction, I'm going to assume you're collecting the cargo by air?" Stella asked the man.

"Why of course, how else would you move twenty tons of goods? May as well call Hercules and ask for a favour." He responded cynically.

"Alright, then that settles it. We all got the basis of the plan?" He looked up for their approval to which they nodded in response, "Roman, I want you to make sure those birds are warm and ready. The moment the distraction happens that window of opportunity is your chance to swoop in and steal the goods."

"Whatever you say then, I'll go and rally up the pilots." He waved goodbye before exiting the warehouse.

"Come on, we'll head top side to get a better view." Jaune gestured.

Standing atop one the second tallest building in Vale, Jaune and Stella essentially had access to all of Vale in terms of spotting and rooting out targets.

Peering through his binoculars, he zoomed in on the complex and watched with a careful eye as to carry out his approach. Roman Torchwick was right about the Paladin's following a fixed patrol route with two escort soldiers tagging along for the ride. Search lights littered the area while snipers stood atop their platforms keeping a keen eye on their surroundings for any suspicious activity. Panning around, he located the port and observed the area carefully. Heavy cranes operated endlessly and containers were loaded on and off the docked ship. As the civilian workers did their duties, they were eyed by the soldiers who stood guard around the area.

"This place is locked down pretty tight. If it was simply assassinating that officer we would've finished the contract in a heartbeat. Guess stealth can be crossed off the list for this operation." Stella said.

"Hah, I know you're all giddy on the inside since you can finally cut loose this time. But please try not to murder those that have surrendered, it wouldn't sit well with me." Jaune laughed at the last part.

"Finally, it's been awhile since I could go out of my way and murder everything in sight," Her eyes glowed a faint hint of blood red as she spoke in a cheerful voice, "Found the main building by the way, some sort of storage facility. Could be where Loqi is hiding in." She said while peering through the scopes of her bow.

"Got it, I guess that finalizes the plan then," He began before packing away his binoculars in his bag. Tossing the thing aside, he checked his pouches for ammunition while feeling his sheathed dagger, "This plan is straight forward and simple. I'll slip in through the back and eliminate as much of the security as to allow minimal resistance when Roman comes in to take the goods. I'll radio in as to when I'm done clearing the area so you can begin your distraction."

"Sounds easy, and what about the officer?"

"As soon as the distraction happens, I'll make my way over to the building housing our guest. Some major resistance is expected as this guy is probably on par with a trained Huntsman. Try not to be late to the party."

"I won't, and you wouldn't mind me destroying half the base now right?"

"As long as it doesn't touch the dust, go wild." Jaune winked before leaping off the building.

As the girl watched her partner teleport towards the base, she drew her bow back and waited for the signal. Her eyes glowed a faint blue hue as a simple magnification spell allowed her to aim accurately with her bow. Tonight, Vale was about to get the biggest shock of its life and perhaps a bad one at that due to amount of negativity that would be emitted. But who cares about that? It's why Huntsman exists after all.

* * *

Moving like lightning and sticking to shadows, Jaune used all sorts of illusion and stealth tactics to make his way into the base. The fact the operation was being carried out in the middle of the night screamed easy mode for him as the field had been tipped into a playground to cleverly dispose of all his targets.

Moving with the shadows, he casted his shadow walk spell that allowed him to use any form of the darkness as a means to getting into places and gaining the upper hand on opponents. Traversing the terrain, he quickly made his way through the shadows and appeared inside the complex. Crouching low, he checked his surroundings before beginning his next move. Spotting a sniper in the watch tower, he marked it as a priority takedown before scanning the rest of the area.

Seeing a four man patrol near the pier, they seemed to overlook the cargo being transferred from the ship onto the docks.

Spotlights bathed the area up ahead as soldiers stood on shipping containers and watched with keen eyes. In the distance, a Paladin marched closer as part of its patrol routine. Estimating the time it took for the Paladin to arrive, he gave it under three minutes before it was on top of him.

Making his move, he quickly traversed the shadows and ended up behind the lonely sniper. As the blade sunk into the back of the soldier's neck, a soft noise escaped his mouth before the body collapsed. Catching the body, he gently eased it onto the floor as to avoid generating more noise.

Possessing the height advantage now, he glanced around one more time as to confirm the positions of key patrols and soldiers who posed a big threat. In any case, he had to hurry up and carry out plans of clearing out the docks lest he wished to confront a Paladin. Throwing himself over the ledge, he quickly disappeared from view and into the pit of shadows that littered the area. Coming up behind two soldiers, they conversed in a low manner while gazing out into the ocean unbeknownst of the killer behind them.

With a quick throw of his knife, he found himself airborne and soaring towards his targets. Smacking the blunt end of his blade into the back of the first soldier's head, he grabbed onto the body and swung his lower half around before kicking his friend in the face.

Ending the scuffle in an instant, he dragged both bodies into the darkness together with their weapons and made moved on.

Keeping track of the time since he left the watchtower, almost twenty seconds had passed. Cursing himself with a -tsk- he knew had to move quicker as the Paladin was fast approaching. Running silently atop the containers, he casted a speed spell that allowed him to move like lightning. Using it in conjunction with his shadow walk spell, it made him nigh undetectable as he approached single and lonely targets in the area and disposed of them.

Spotting a target on the edge of the container, he popped behind and choked him out while dragging his body away from the edge. Hearing footsteps below, a lone soldier patrolled the gaps in between containers making him a ripe target.

Within the next second, the soldier lay dead as Jaune took off onto his next target. There was blood in the water and Jaune was a mad shark murdering everything in his path to get to the main prize.

As more soldiers were taken down, the port suddenly became less populated as patrols that were meant to show up never did and people who were stationed at designated spots suddenly disappeared from their post.

Two minutes had elapsed and Jaune had one more squad to take down and the docks would've been cleared lest the Paladin and its detachment spot the dead bodies and wake up the entire base. Rounding the corner, he spotted the four grunts who were still watching the transfer of containers from ship to land.

As the large crane moved a container, the object blocked his view but also provided an element for Jaune to exploit. Throwing his knife, he appeared atop the moving container and paused for the right moment to strike.

Releasing he had thirty seconds left on the clock, he chose the noisy approach and threw his weapon at the group. Appearing in a flash before them, he chose the nearest grunt and smacked him with his own weapon. Moving in flash, he appeared behind the next grunt and sent his blade through the back before proceeding onwards. The next soldier met another gruesome fate as Jaune forced his head to one side and buried the dagger in his next. With the last grunt aiming his weapon, he smacked the gun aside swiftly and kicked the man over the pier. Hearing a loud splash, the amount of equipment he wore would eventually cause him to sink and end him.

"Patrol approaching." Stella buzzed in his ear.

Removing his dagger from the dead body, he quickly glanced around and saw two soldiers who had already caught him in the act. Weapons drawn, he was sure the alarms would go off any minute now and he'd have no choice but to go loud.

To his surprise however, two arrows flew at supersonic speeds and impaled both in the back and took them out silently. A small sigh escaped his mouth as his presence hadn't been blown yet.

"Thank me later pretty boy." Stella said in a cocky manner.

"Sure thing princess." He chuckled, "The docks are clear now, commence the second phase of the plan. Go wild Bathory." A devilish grin formed on his face upon the mention of the name.

* * *

'Go wild' was all that gave Stella enough reason to murder everything in her path. Standing atop the building, her bow was drawn all the way back with a special arrow loaded in. Citing the spell in her head, the air around her stopped flowing and blue hues of magical energy radiated around her. Within the next second, a burst of red energy joined the other colour signifying the spell had been complete and the arrow was ready to fire.

Holding her breath, she eyed the compound and calculated where her arrow should go in order to inflict the most damage. Feeling the energy radiate from the arrow itself, her fingers twitched as they wanted to let go of the string. Waiting a few more seconds, her mind screamed 'now!' and she obeyed the order.

As her fingers released the string, the arrow flung loose from the bow and shot forward with such force that it broke the sound barrier upon release. Stirring up dust and sending cracks through the materials of the building, Stella remained unfazed as she watched her projectile of destruction fly towards its target.

As the arrow flew at break neck speeds, to the normal eyes it looked like a shooting star as it flew over the buildings of Vale and illuminated the night sky with its own deep blue aura. However, such a sight only lasted for a few seconds as what came next would shock all of Vale.

As the arrow arc'd and came down upon its destination, the soldiers below would never see the next sunlight as tonight was their last time on Remnant. What came next was beyond comprehension as a blinding white light illuminated the area as if it was a morning already in Vale. The next second, a large orb of fire rose into in the sky followed by the large deafening sounds of explosions as the arrow detonated its payload.

Death was one way of describing it, perhaps even chaos as the large fireball rose into the sky followed by steady shockwaves and the sounds of explosions equivalent to a salvo of ten battleships unloading their guns at whatever poor sod in the distance.

Regardless, the explosion was enough to decimate everything in the other half of the base and leave behind a half a kilometre wide radius crater in its wake. Fires spread rampantly as whatever remained of the base flew into panic states. Civilian workers fled through their emergency exits while soldiers rushed to the scenes of the explosion. For Jaune, he had forgotten just what sort of firepower Stella packed and was thrown off by the giant explosion. When he asked for a distraction, he expected something small scale not a giant fucking mini nuke that wiped out half the base.

"Fuck, maybe I should've told her to tone down the explosions." He cursed while moving around as to not get seen by the people.

Tapping his earpiece, he told himself to worry about the aftermath later and continue with the plan, "Roman, hurry up and get your boys around. Those dust containers aren't going to fly by themselves now."

"Copy that. By grace did you sure did cause a ruckus, is Loqi dead?"

"No, I'm moving in for the kill now. He'll be dead, trust me."

"I'll believe you then Mr Assassin. You have done some good service for me and business partners. As for the whole of Vale, that remains to be seen. Roman out."

As the transmission ended, a squadron of bullhead airships came in and began securing their loads. Seeing that Roman could handle himself, the assassin quickly dashed forward amidst the chaos and gunned straight for the building supposedly housing Loqi.

Glancing around, soldiers rushed with fire hoses and buckets of water in an attempt to put out the wild blaze that sprung up across the area. The war mech Paladins bumbled around with fire hoses and combated the much larger flames while others cleared the rubble in vain attempt to find their buried comrades.

This was the power of magic, this was the raw display of strength that could consider them as gods. But instead of using it to benefit the world, the only users who could wield it used it for their own selfish desires. But such was the way of a human. Using whatever tools he can to survive in this harsh world called life. Call it dumb and stupid, but that's what any desperate man would do when given such a power.

Hearing the sounds of gunfire and explosions, he turned to the source of the noise and found only a gory scene as bodies flew about or were dismembered. He couldn't make out the one responsible for the mess but he knew who exactly could cause such a scene.

"May god have mercy on us all." Jaune muttered lowly before resuming his course.

* * *

The scene and destruction that surrounded her was something Stella pictured vividly in her head when she fired the arrow. It was a shame though that there were no bodies left around as they would've added more dread to the scene. Looking around, stragglers that survived the initial attack desperately rushed around trying to salvage whatever remains they could find or maybe they were trying to dig up the dead bodies of their comrades. Either way, it was useless as all their efforts would be in vain. Whoever stood amongst them wasn't a mysterious girl shrouded behind a hood, it was a monster that had no remorse or pity.

As an armed grunt approached he aimed his rifle in an attempt to scare her off while barking orders at the top of his lungs. Stella found it annoying at threw her sword at his neck which silenced his blabbering mouth.

Suffice to say his friend in the back witnessed the horrific scene and aimed his gun at the killer and opened fire. His emotions over took his actions his shots flew blindly in hopes of hitting their target. Unfortunately, he met another bloody demise as the assailant blew past him in a flash. Realizing what had happened, his connections to both his arms were gone and only pained screams escaped his mouth as he fell to the floor in a pool of his own blood.

A large smile was imprinted on Stella's face her clothes were freshly stained with blood. Of course, now the remaining survivors focused their attention on her after murdering two of their own. The only response now was to fight or die running, either way, no one was going to escape out of this alive.

"Open fire!" A field officer yelled as he fired his pistol.

Following like mindless sheep, the other armed soldiers took aim and unleashed their deadly barrage of concentrated firearms. Bullets flew wildly at their target yet the killer stood motionless as if she was unafraid of death itself.

The next moment came as a shock to the men as their concentrated fire of bullets seemingly stopped just a few centimetres from their target and refused to travel any further. Staring in owe, some could only gawk while others dropped their weapons and fled while screaming monster.

"My turn!" She grinned before moving her hand.

As the projectiles suddenly turned around, a quick snap of her fingers and the shots were all reflected back at them. Diving madly for cover, those who failed to do so were cut down without mercy or were injured badly to the point death seemed a better solution than being kept alive.

"Kill the bitch! Kill her! Throw everything you have at her!" The officer barked before firing his pistol.

Much to his horror, the assailant had disappeared from view and was now a mere few metres away from him. Mouth open wide, he tried to scream but was denied the chance as the assailants' blade went through his mouth with a stomach wrenching noise.

With a sharp twist, Stella dislodged the head from the body and swung her blade in the opposite manner. As the officer's head rolled around, the men under his order panicked like never before. Some fled for their lives while others took up arms and retreated to a safe distance. Others charged in with melee weapons seeing that guns had no effect earlier and hoped that traditional methods would suffice.

What happened next was beyond description as it was just a horrifying site for the normal eye. Plunging both her swords into the ground, the sky glowed red like blood as jagged spikes several metres high erupted from the ground at frightening speeds that the mere average human had no clue what was going until they were skewered by the barbed poles.

The souls who stayed to fight were now dangling in the air as their corpse was impaled firmly by the spikes. Screams echoed from their mouths as their dying breaths escaped them. Those who fled met the same end as the barbaric attack chased after them like a pack of hounds and impaled their corpses. Blood flowed down from the spikes and it ran like a river, bathing the ground in red. The smile Stella wore was still on her face as she witnessed the bloody carnage around her, a 'master piece' as she would call it. Her clothes were stained in blood with smears on her face, swords stained in red while a soft sound would be emitted every time her boots made contact with the surface. She counted more than fifty bodies that had been impaled which was a reasonable outcome as she didn't expect much to survive the initial attack.

Much to her disdain, a few Paladins still roamed the area and were an annoying sight in Stella's view. On the flip side she didn't have to garner their attention as two Paladins came charging towards her after provoking them with her murderous spikes.

As the mindless robots approached her, its weapons became unveiled as chain miniguns littered its arms while rocket pods stood all over its shoulders. An impressive piece of technology, yet utterly useless as it would soon find out that its weapons were nothing but display aesthetics.

Multiple lasers pointed at the motionless intruder and a volley of rockets were unleashed. Exploding upon contact, the mechs came to a grinding halt as no movements were detected from the initial barrage. Moving forward slowly, the smoke and flames cleared to reveal a charred floor and a few small craters. As one of the Paladins ran a search scan, it was interrupted shortly as its companion suddenly started to behave erratically.

Seeing no visual movements whatsoever, its sensors detected only a fast blur as it watched its fellow companion get disarmed from head to toe. In a matter of seconds, the Paladin had lost all its weaponry and was dealt a large amount of damage as it collapsed to the ground in a pile of broken parts.

For Stella, it was mere child's play in taking down such a slow monster. Landing on top of the last remaining Paladin, the dropped down and hung onto the front visor of the mech as a way of taunting the machine. In response, the only logical thing it could do was thrash around wildly in hopes of throwing off the enemy.

Enjoying the ride while it lasted, she shoved one of her swords into the visor and effectively blinded the robot for majority of the battle. Responding to the attack, the Paladin fired aimlessly with everything it had as its systems calibrated itself through the backup camera.

With precise swing from her sharp blades, the rocket pods were the first to go as it clamoured onto the ground. Short on weaponry, the robot continued to thrash around aimlessly even though it was fighting a losing battle. For Stella, it was an amusing experience.

* * *

Prior to the massacre outside, Jaune had managed to infiltrate the building without any trouble as the personnel inside rushed outside to control the growing situation. As he kept to the darkness, a high ranking officer barked orders left and right as to maintain whatever order was left of the place.

"That must be Loqi, better make this quick and get the hell out of here before the entire city comes down on this place." Jaune said to himself.

As the last grunt left the building, the Atlesian officer paced around impatiently while cursing inaudible words. Needless to say, his violent actions against the computers reflected his current mindset. Whatever he was worried about would soon come to an end as death had come knocking on his door.

Throwing himself over the railings, the assassin made a steady descent before making a loud thud on the ground. Startling the officer, his only reaction was to stare in disbelief that some lowlife managed to sneak into his base amidst the growing chaos outside.

"What the hell? Who are you and what are you doing here?" He demanded.

Jaune cocked his head to one side and remained silent, a small smile forming on his face, "Loqi Tummelt right? I hope you've said your goodbyes."

"What? G-Goodbyes? What n-n-nonsense are you talking a-a-bout?" The man stammered while sweat visibly poured down the side of his face.

"It's over Loqi, your run ends here." Jaune declared.

As the sounds of gunfire erupted outside the building, a brief look on confusion formed over the Atlesian's face. The gunfire had died down shortly after and silence followed. What came next would shock the officer as the sounds of his men begging for their lives through audible screams pierced the blazing night sky.

"What the hell is going here?!" He yelled at the stranger.

"I do apologize, my associates outside can be very brutal you see. But that doesn't matter, because you're not leaving the building anyway." Jaune declared before drawing his knife and pistol.

"Very well then assassin, if it's a fight you want, then I shall respond in kind!" Loqi bravely said before a gilded lance appeared in his hands.

As the next breath escaped Loqi's mouth, Jaune pushed his foot lightly and the ground gave way as he shot off like a lightning bolt. Closing the gap between his opponent in a heartbeat, it was already too late for Loqi as his killer was right on top of him before he had a chance to react.

Revolver aimed at his head at point blank, the hammer came down faster than a race car and the gun discharged. Expecting the bullet to knock his foe to the ground, Jaune was taken aback as Loqi moved his head to dodge the bullet at the last second.

As the bullet soared past his head, it grazed his hair by a fraction of a millimetre before missing entirely. Letting out a disappointed _-tsk-_ Jaune quickly fired again only for the bullet to miss his target by a close call. By now his element of surprise had been ruined and Loqi somehow had lightning like reflexes.

Moving his knife forward, the blade was blocked by the mid-section of his polearm before he was pushed back. Landing a few metres away from his opponent, the two warriors wasted no time in closing the gap between them. Clashing furiously, Jaune's eyes followed his opponent's moves and danced with the flow. Loqi was no man's fool as he prevented Jaune from moving his knife closer to his body while giving him no room to draw his pistol. It was quite frustrating on Jaune's part but he also learned Loqi's moves and prevented him from breaking away as to gain the range advantage.

Strength parallel to a mad beast, both warriors fought ferociously as their lives were on the line. As the room they fought in became unrecognizable, cemented floors remained cracked or overturned while the support structure came loose around them. With each passing second and for every mighty blow traded, the shockwave sent outwards would rock the building downwards.

Throwing his knife away, Jaune teleported away from his opponent and landed gently before making his next move. Showing off his powers, he quickly teleported around Loqi and dealt a few hits in spots where they were vulnerable. Appearing in front of his opponent, he took the chance and fired his revolver into the target's chest. Staggering his opponent completely, he fired into his face and watched as his body was blown to the floor.

Knowing that it wasn't enough, he leapt in in order to plant his knife for the killing blow. Hitting the ground with a sharp noise, Loqi had already rolled away to avoid the blow and was above him. For the Atlesian, this was his chance to strike down his killer and end the fight.

Throwing his knife away, Jaune teleported away at the last moment and the deadly polearm hit nothing but solid ground. Grinding his teeth in frustration, the man grew impatient and let his rage build within.

As Jaune reappeared, he had enough of dragging the fight out and decided to end it swiftly as more than five minutes has elapsed. Spell in his left hand, he threw his knife forward and teleported in order to close the distance. Letting loose the spell in his hand, an icy ball flew forth and made contact with ground. As a howling blizzard erupted, the ground turned into solid ice and Loqi was taken aback by such an effective attack.

Teleporting again, he appeared high into the air and dive bombed his opponent by throwing a fireball at his face. Staggering his target, he teleported again and appeared in front of his opponent. Lightning cackling his hand, he unleashed multiple bolts at point blank and sent him flying.

Groaning in pain, the Atlesian stood up like a wasted soldier after a long day. Remaining vigilant as ever, he gripped his weapon as a way to stabilize himself before eying Jaune feverishly.

"It seems I am outmatched here, clearly I thought I would win by normal wins. But that, whatever you were using clearly wasn't dust," He coughed while clutching his stomach, blood came out of his mouth, "I am Loqi Tummelt, 3rd Commodore of the Dragoon Corps for the Atlesian Army! If I'm going down, you'll have to try harder than that!" He grinned.

Hearing a low rumble beneath his feet, Jaune felt his instincts scream at him to run as danger approached like a bullet train. Reacting too late, a Paladin burst forth from the wall behind Loqi with its weapons primed and ready. Bearing custom markings and paint, it was Loqi's personal Paladin and he had been saving it up until this moment. The bastard sure knew how to drag out a fight.

"Witness, the true might if Atlesian engineering!" He gestured toward the robot, "And now you will die!"

Before anything else could happen, a loud crash was heard as a wild Paladin came flying through the wall. Before Jaune realized what had happened, the rogue Paladin had smashed into Loqi's one and pushed into the support structure of the building causing a portion of the warehouse to topple down on top of the two mechs.

Staring is disbelief, Loqi's jaw hung wide open as he screamed hysterically at the rubble, "My Paladin, what have you done?! How did this happen?!" He glared daggers at Jaune, "I'm going to tear open yo-"

Before he had a chance to finish, he felt multiple things pierce his body and couldn't feel anything. As he felt his death approaching, his polearm lay lying on the floor while he coughed up his own blood. Finding himself hoisted above the ground, he found out a little too late as multiple jagged spikes had impaled him.

Glancing at his assailant, his vision was slowly fading and all he saw was the growing darkness. Hand outstretched, he tried to grab the thin air for any hope of survival. With his last dying breath a soft proud declaration escaped his mouth in the form of "Long live Atlas" before going limp.

Still processing what had just happened, Jaune saw the life leave Loqi's body before his body went limp on the spikes. As he wondered who was responsible for the brutal kill, a small giggle filled his ears which only meant one person. It came to him as no surprise as Stella was the one behind the execution, but the way she did it sent a small shiver down his back.

Staring at her, she still had her bloodied swords drawn and her eyes still glowed a deep shade of red, like blood itself. The smell of carnage radiated off her in both aura and smell as he could see traces of blood everywhere.

Stopping a few feet away, his partner tilted her head to one side as if she was studying him. Her eyes pierced his as if she was looking into his very soul, judging all his life choices.

"Stella? You alright?" Jaune asked her slowly, wary of what might happen next.

His partner remained silent as she continue to pierce his soul with those eyes of hers. Her face expressionless like staring at him wiped whatever emotion from her face. Watching her give a quick glance at Loqi, she returned her attention towards him.

"Stella, it's okay now. It's over, we can go now." Jaune said while slowly taking careful strides towards her.

In a heart stopping moment, her hand quickly rested on one of her swords and Jaune halted in his steps. A small gulp came from him as he was confused as to why Stella was behaving erratically.

"The Fall will come, all will descend into black, darkness will rule…." She chanted out of the blue.

"Huh?" Jaune wore a confused look.

Within the next second, the crimson glow that filled Stella's eyes suddenly disappeared and her normal blue eyes returned. A small gasp escaped her before she began to collapse.

"Hey!" Jaune yelled before swooping in to catch her. Checking her vitals, he breathed a sigh of relief as it was just exhaustion that caught up to her. A small smile formed on his as he knew everything was going to be alright for her.

Carrying her gently, he decided to make himself scarce as the rest of the city would be converging on this place. Tonight was one hell of a night, but tonight was the day the citizens of Vale were shaken to their very core. What was in store for them next was unknown, but it was nothing good for sure.

* * *

Weiss Schnee slept like a rock that night. Her sleep was something that she would regard as royalty as she awoke with a good start. Her mood was lively and her body was full of energy. However, that vibrant energy within her disappeared as she awoke to the faces of her teammates wearing solemn looks. Yang greeted her with a forced smile but there was sadness or fear behind it.

"What's with the depressing look Yang? This is unusual of you." Weiss said.

The blonde haired chick remained silent and motioned to Ruby who was holding a pair of binoculars in her hand. Her expression a bit brighter than Yang's but still showing signs of discomfort.

"Ruby? What's going on?" The Heiress asked the team leader.

"There was some sort of attack last night, Ozpin's banned all transport towards the city for the time being until some answers roll in."

"What?!" Her jaw dropped.

Hearing the door click open, Blake walked in with a newspaper in hand. Her face spelt sadness and anger as she fumbled around the right words to say to her teammates, "It's in all the papers, everywhere to be exact."

"What? The attack? Who was attacked?" Weiss asked, her voice rising slightly.

As Yang grabbed the paper, her face dropped slightly as she hesitated to read the front page headline.

"Yang, what does it say?" Weiss demanded subtly.

She swallowed the saliva in her mouth, "Schnee Dust Company port attacked and robbed. Atlas personnel guarding the place reported dead or missing."

"Wha?!" Weiss muttered in shock, "Is this some sort of joke for you guys?!" She blurted out, a wave of emotions overcoming her.

"It's on every newspaper front, every news website headline. This is very real Weiss." Blake shot at her.

As the Heiress stood up from her bed, she peered out the window to find a thick pillar of smoke rising from the scene. Hands curling into fists, she slammed the tabletop in frustration before sitting back down on her bed.

"Weiss, if you want we can hel-"

"No, I need to be alone for awhile. Please…." She interrupted Ruby before she could finish.

"Come on guys, let's give her some space." Yang told them before leading Ruby out of the room.

As Blake was the last one to leave, she felt pity for Weiss as this sort of attack meant all sorts of messages towards the Heiress, "I'm sorry Weiss." She said softly before closing the door.

* * *

 **Yeah...so that just happened. I too am at a lost for words. But enough of that, leave a review on your thoughts and hopefully you'll be around when the next chapter drops. Although fair warning to all, it's going to be very messy.**

 **Yours Faithfully~**

 **ZafkielRagnarov.**


	4. Chapter 3: Finish Line

Almost two weeks had passed since the attack on the port and everything in Vale had returned back to normal. The ban on leaving school grounds was uplifted by Ozpin just as soon as the authorities deemed it safe to walk the city streets again. At school, the students chatted non stop about the incident. The words 'White Fang' and 'Terrorist' were slung around casually to pin the blame on someone amidst the mass confusion.

While the populous drowned itself in discussions on who instigated the attack, the real culprits lived amongst them. Living their lives like it was a any normal day of the week, paying no heed to society's reaction. For a specific heiress, the attack hit a little too close to home and now the worried thoughts of her family filled her mind even though her relationships for the majority of them were stale.

"Hey, how you feeling?" Jaune asked in a soft voice as he entered the room.

"Like shit," Stella groaned.

"That was pretty reckless of you. You knew damn well what would've happen if you pushed yourself to keep using your magic to fill your alter ego. You become someone else, someone different entirely." The blonde folded his arms in disappointment.

His partner merely frowned, her eyes uninterested in the lecturing given unto her, "Look, you already know that I can control it. You don't have to worry about me being taken over, it just happens alright?"

A sigh escaped Jaune's mouth, moving closer he sat down across the girl. Hand stretched out, he brushed aside the silvery hair strands that hid a portion of her face, "You'd be an idiot to think I wouldn't worry about you every day," His eyes locked with hers, for a moment all he saw was a sea of gentleness within the girl that captivated him, "I just care that's all." He finished slowly.

A soft smile formed on her face as she heard his words, "I know that you big Goof," A small giggle escaped her mouth while her finger gently tapped his nose.

"I'm going out into the city. Torchwick apparently called to meet up for some proposal he's got. You want to come?" He offered.

"Ugh, too lazy. I don't feel in the mood anyway. Besides there's some assignments I have to catch up on. Go on ahead, I'm pretty sure a strong man like yourself can handle the big baddies." She winked.

"Yeah…." He smiled sheepishly, "But before any of that I promised I'd do a few sparring sessions with Pyrrha. After the amount of times I have ducked out and avoided practice she is really going to chew my ass out this time."

"You done goofed now boy." Stella laughed, "You seriously are terrible at keeping promises. A word of advices, don't make promises you can't keep especially towards a girl. Considering the fact she fancies you." The last line said in a low voice.

"Sorry what?" He asked in a confused manner only to be given a dumbfounded look, "I am quite aware about not keeping promises. I really should stop making them in the first place anyway."

"Dear lord Jaune Arc, you'd better stick to your word." Stella shook her head. Giving the teen a gentle nudge, she forced him off the bed and onto his feet, "Now scram loser, you're keeping a girl waiting. Go be a decent gentleman and show up. Try not to smash her okay?"

"Sure, whatever that means." Jaune said without a second thought before giving his partner soft peck on the cheek.

Waving goodbye, he picked up his gear and strolled out of the room and quietly made his way towards the training room Pyrrha specified.

* * *

The trip was short and brief as the training halls were conveniently close to the dorms. As he entered the room, the sounds of gunfire coupled with enthusiastic battle cries endorsed his ears. He instantly recognized who could scream in such a unique manner and looking at the source only confirmed his hypothesis.

On the training floor stood Ren and Nora as they dished out their own flurry of attacks in order to best each other in combat. The powerful crushing swings that Nora delivered sent shockwaves strong enough to shake the ground Jaune was standing upon which only added to her prowess in wielding Magnhild. Ren's movements could be described as graceful and deadly as each step and jump seemed to be executed so flawlessly, like a master demonstrating his own teachings.

"You finally showed up," A familiar voice caught his attention coupled with a sharp pain on his shoulder.

"Ouch…!" He twitched slightly from the punch, "That's one way to greet a person."

"Well considering said person has rarely bothered to show up to any training sessions after making multiple promises, I think you deserve it." Pyrrha said.

"Yeah, you got me there." The teen slumped forward in a defeated manner.

"Well then team leader, I hear Stella's been training you well since you somehow couldn't make it to our sessions. Let's put it to the test shall we?"

"Jaune's here?!" Nora shouted in disbelief during the middle of the fight. A finger pointing at him while she stood motionless out in the open.

"Nora what are you doing?!" Pyrrha asked in shock.

By then it was already too late as Ren had capitalized on the mistake his team mate had. Without warning, a solid piece of Ren's foot made contact with Nora's face that sent her flying across the room.

The only noise that escaped the Valkyrie's mouth was an "Oof!" as she flew like a runaway train before crashing into the ground with a loud noise.

"Ouch…." Pyrrha flinched as she witnessed the kick, "That's going to hurt."

"I felt that." Jaune said as his right hand felt his cheeks.

"Ren!" Nora moaned like a little child as recovered from the attack, "A bit of warning next time!"

A confused look formed on his face, "I was unaware we were supposed to give a warning to our enemies."

"Don't listen to her Ren; Nora's just salty that you won this session. Come on you two, make yourself scarce. I and the team leader here would like to have a go as well."

"Oh this is going to be golden. Smash his legs Pyrrha!" Nora pumped an excited fist into the air.

"No please, I'd like to keep my ability to walk thank you." Jaune held a protective hand over his legs.

A small giggle escaped came from Pyrrha, "Silly Jaune, you know I wouldn't go that far. Or maybe I would, who knows." She shrugged her shoulders.

"Wait what!" He screamed internally.

"Ready?" The redhead asked as her weapons were drawn with swift movements.

"I am now!" His voice full of confidence as he deployed the full set of Crocea Mors.

As they stood a full twenty metres apart, Jaune readied his stance in full anticipation for Pyrrha to strike first. He had a handful of ideas on how to play this fight out. Usually going up against an opponent who is vastly more skilled in the melee department meant an easy loss if he didn't play it carefully. To top it off, he was playing with Crocea Mors and not his usual Dagger and Pistol loadout. Not bullshit gunplay here, just pure skill and melee.

He knew in the back of his mind he could easily topple this fight in a few seconds. A few sneaky chants of magic here and there and this fight would be a cake walk. But that was a card he could not play due to the fact his team mates knew nothing about his magic. All they knew was that he had a 'semblance' that allows him to move like lightning, anything else would be spilling too much on himself and start drawing unwanted attention to himself. In due time he would tell, but now was not the time.

His breathing became heavier with each passing second, sweat slowly rolling down the side of his head. Shuffling his feet in small movements, he waited for the moment. Why Pyrrha hadn't attacked was beyond his comprehension but it gave him time to prepare for multiple counter attacks nonetheless.

Without a word being uttered, the female warrior jumped forward and rose into the air like a rocket aimed directly at him. Watching the arm that held Miló pull back for a throw, the huntress threw the spear with a determined grunt. As the projectile flew like a guided missile with his name on it, Jaune had only one option and that was to fucking run.

Not waiting for death to claim his hide, Jaune quickly aimed for the nearest open spot and dashed forward in a heartbeat leaving a sparkling trail behind. Shortly after he left his position the sound of Miló penetrating the ground filled his ears.

Witnessing his opponent attempt to retrieve her weapon, he seized the moment and dashed forward again with his immense speed. Appearing behind her, a determined arm rose above his head as he decided to strike the blow that would give him the aura advantage.

For some reason, Pyrrha predicted his obvious attack and drew Miló from the ground with ease before slashing at his chest in its spear form. As the blade missed his chest by a fraction of a millimetre, Jaune did the only logical thing and stepped back.

Following up her attack, Pyrrha was determined to not let her opponent escape and quickly morphed Miló into its short sword variant with a simple flick. As the blade struck like a viper, Jaune instinctively raised his shield and deflected the blow. Replying in kind, he struck forth with little expectation of hitting his opponent but still attacked nevertheless.

As the blades locked together, sparks flew wildly and the two combatants pressed each other over who could win over the locked stalemate. A quick glance at Pyrrha's face and a small grin was on her face, clearly she was enjoying the fight or waiting for the opportunity to whoop his ass. Whatever the reason Jaune preferred the former.

Taking the initiative, Pyrrha broke the stalemate and bashed her shield unexpectedly against Jaune. Caught off guard by the move, it opened up an opportunity for Pyrrha to send Miló through to damage his aura by a devastating amount.

Before she could capitalize on the opening, Jaune had activated his 'semblance' again and dashed way into a safe distance. The Huntress could only grit her teeth in frustration as she realized her missed opportunity of ending the fight quickly.

As the two combatants stood a good ten metres away from each other, the tension in the air grew larger as they waited for the next move. They both breathed heavily but their stances never faltered, both of them determined to stay on top of each other.

Moving first, Pyrrha quickly dashed forward and leapt into the air before coming down with the intent of slam kicking Jaune. Raising his shield in response to the attack, the Huntress landed on the solid object before back flipping away.

Lowering his shield, what came next caught Jaune by surprise as Pyrrha somehow had already thrown Miló at him before she even landed. As the weapon flew true towards its target, the only thing that saved Jaune from being impaled was his lightning like reflexes.

Leaning as far back as his body allowed him too, Miló flew overhead and landed behind him. Seizing this new found opportunity, Pyrrha was unarmed and it meant he could land a guaranteed hit if he played his cards right.

Activating his magic again, he dashed forward like a lightning bolt and appeared above Pyrrha in a heartbeat. Sword ready to strike, he felt this the deciding moment that he would win a match with Crocea Mors.

His attack was ruined however as he noticed a fast moving object heading towards out of the corner of his right eye. Seeing that is was Miló gunning towards him, he quickly raised his shield and turned his body to intercept blow.

As the weapon smashed against his shield, it hit him with enough force to ricochet away and push the teen back a small distance. Recovering quickly from the unexpected attack, Jaune dashed forward again with his 'Semblance' and forced Pyrrha to block with Akoúo as she had little to no time to block with her primary.

Sword bouncing off the shield, Jaune winded up for another swing but was counteracted by the short sword version of Miló. Sparks flew again as both combatants swung their blades with deadly precision in an attempt to land a decisive blow. Breaking apart, they both danced gracefully around the training floor like something out of a fast paced movie.

Ducking low, the blonde teen attempted to swipe at Pyrrha's legs in order to break her stalwart balance. Unfortunately, the huntress predicted his simple attack and sent a foot down onto the flat side of his blade. With his weapon locked underneath her feet, Pyrrha wasted no time and sent a quick kick into Jaune's face which rocked his entire world causing him to release his sword.

Stumbling backwards, the sharp blow Jaune received was enough to make him reconsider his tactics in fighting Pyrrha and handling her overall. Rubbing the spot where her boots firmly planted themselves, a sharp sting lingered in the area as he reformed his tactics.

Armed with only a shield and with his wits and determination, the teen was stuck in a corner with little options.

Jaune knew he had little to no time in planning his next move as Pyrrha would be on top of him any second now. On top of that his aura was in the low levels from the heated exchange since the start of the battle. Whatever decision he made next would influence the outcome of the fight.

An idea floated about his head and wether or not he should put it use was something he debated internally. If he were to pull this reckless card he couldn't afford to fuck up period. If he did fuck up, it would cost him dearly and potentially a sore body the next day. Either way, he was determined to walk out with a victory one way or another.

Bracing himself behind his shield, he readied his lightning magic counted in his head for the right moment. Watching the red head gear up for a quick dash, a voiced screamed "Now!" in his mind to kick off his reckless idea.

Within a heart beat, Jaune shot off like a lightning bolt from his position and moved forward towards Pyrrha all the while cowering behind the safety of his shield. The attack was simple yet crude and effective. If the hit connected, Pyrrha would not only get hit by the force of a high moving train but also thrown across the room. The only rogue factor was if Pyrrha could take the hit and it was a risk Jaune was willing to take.

Even if Jaune were to change his mind now it was already too late. He had committed and now he has to pull through wether her liked the results or not.

*BANG!*

With a loud noise and a feminine scream, Pyrrha was vaulted into the air like nothing and thrown into the wall with an unsettling sound. Peering out from behind the safety of his shield, he saw Pyrrha slowly recovering from the brute nature of the attack and felt a chill run down his spine.

He was sure not even a regular student could survive such an attack let alone recover so quickly. But Pyrrha was on a whole other level, to the point she stood out from the rest just from this performance alone. Whatever training she endured seemed to pay off in the end.

Without waiting for the Huntress to recover, he quickly made a mad dash for his sword and picked up the weapon. Rushing over to Pyrrha, the only thing that went through his mind now was forcing her into submission now that he had the upper hand.

Blade sticking out, he held the weapon at her throat as gesture for her to submit and give up lest she would suffer another blow. Unbeknownst to Jaune, the mechanical sound of Miló transforming completely slipped his mind as he was too busy focusing on his opponent. Truly a blunder on his end.

It wasn't until he felt a sharp jab at his stomach that he realized the situation. He knew Pyrrha wouldn't simply give up and she would go down trying if it meant putting a bullet into him.

He had to think fast or else it would end with both of them getting badly hurt and waking up the next day with sore bodies. And frankly Jaune preferred to wake up without having to experience the fury of a thousand needles poking his skin.

"Shall we call it a draw?" He wore a smug look.

A small scoff escaped Pyrrha's mouth, "The way I see it, that's not the only option. But seeing as how we're both hell bent on destroying each others Auras I say a draw is fair."

The blonde grinned from ear to ear, "Glad we could come to an agreement. May I?" He extended a helping hand.

Accepting the kind gesture, the huntress gripped his soft hand firmly and hauled herself up from the ground. Concluding their heated training session, Nora cheered wildly as if she witnessed one of the most heated training sessions in her life.

"That was awesome!" She moved wildly on the spot.

Letting put a small chuckle, Jaune could only shake his head at Nora's cheerful attitude. Feeling a short jab on his shoulder, he turned to see Pyrrha next to him.

"You did well Jaune, I see that your training with Stella has paid off. It was fun sparring with you, although don't expect to win with the same moves next time." She grinned while jabbing at his sides.

"Oww, I'll keep that in mind next time." He groaned while clutching his sides.

"Well that concludes our sessions for today. I say we all performed exceptionally and should be ready to take on just about anyone at the Vytal festival." Pyrrha clapped her hands together.

"Then I think I shall be taking my leave now. If you all won't mind I kind of agreed to meet with some friends in the city." Jaune said casually while wiping his face down.

"Jeez Jaune we're not dictating what you can do in life. I'm also heading out to Vale later with team RWBY; perhaps we'll run into each other there?" Pyrrha said.

"Maybe Pyr, I'll see you guys around." He gave a short salute before exiting hastily.

* * *

Jaune Arc was a man who drew a line between work and his normal life. During his work hours he was a man who had no identity, a ghost skulking amongst the living. In his normal life he was a mere Huntsman in training at a prestigious academy. For some godforsaken reason the mad lad decided to meet Torchwick for the first time without concealing his identity. Today he was simply Jaune Arc, the almighty killer who aided in the destruction of the SDC port in Vale and also butchered the lives of many Atlesian soldiers.

The amount of confusion that was visible on Torchwick's face lead him to almost believe he invited the wrong man. He expected a man with a face of cold blooded killer, not some dorky teenager.

"So, what did you call me out for?" Jaune asked upfront, his face sullen and exhausted.

Across him sat Roman Torchwick who happily drank his coffee until the question was thrown to him. His cheery attitude wiped off his face and replaced with a frown, "A big favour. I say you have done me and my friends a big deal. Perhaps I should consider hiring you more often," A grin spread across his face.

"Hey, as long as your paying the right amount for the job. I'll gladly take it," Jaune callously shrugged his shoulders before taking a sip from his iced coffee.

"Good, considering we're running against the clock here I'll fill you in while we're on the move." Torchwick said before standing up.

"Wait, where are we going?" Jaune asked while following him outside.

"This is your car I presume? You sure have an exquisite taste." Roman pointed his cane at the two door coupé.

"You expect a joy ride?" The blonde furrowed a brow.

"Unless you're not interested in getting a big pay check, I can stand go ahead and order another person to seal this contract." Torchwick grimaced while glancing at his watch.

In response to his words, the car emitted a sharp two count beep as Jaune unlocked the doors. Grabbing the handle, the door popped open with a satisfying sound and the two men climbed into the sports vehicle. As he inserted the key into the ignition, Torchwick made himself comfortable and placed his hat on the dashboard.

"I wouldn't place that there." Jaune suggested while handing the hate back to him.

Roman wore a confused look, "Why?"

"You'll see." Jaune gave a shit eating grin before turning on the ignition.

As the 3.8L twin turbo V6 roared to life, he could've sworn Torchwick jumped in his seat at the sudden rev of the engine. Anybody else in the neighbouring vicinity had their attention caught up by the roaring GTR. With another small powerful rev, the wheels omitted a short screech before the vehicle itself took off like a rocket.

"Where too now sir?!" Jaune yelled mischievously over the noise as the car zoomed down the road.

"Kronstdat building, KRONSTDAT BUILDING!" Torchwick yelled as his entire body was pushed back into his seat. The man clutched onto his current belongings as if they were the last things he would hold before transcending into the afterlife, "By Oum have mercy!" He pleaded.

Effortlessly moving around the gear stick and steering wheel, Jaune seemed to be a master person in driving such powerful cars as he drifted around a tight bend without breaking a sweat. If one were to have seen it from the outside, it was something executed flawlessly.

As his foot came down on the accelerator, the vehicle lurched forward as more fuel was pumped in and the pistons went wild while picking up more speed. Bursting through a set of lights at the last moment, the entire show itself seemed illegal but Jaune had perfected the art of street racing so well that he was travelling at the designated speed limit. Besides, everything seems fast when you're in a Nissan GTR.

Rounding the corner with a sharp turn, Torchwick felt like he was about to be thrown out the window despite having a seatbelt on. As the vehicle accelerated swiftly it again, it came to an abrupt halt on a parking bay right outside a medium tall grey building.

"We're here." Jaune wore a smug look.

"Fascinating, you somehow haven't killed us yet." Torchwick clamoured before putting his hat on, "As of now we're on the west side of the building. Today is the day Jason Kronstdat is holding the annual super motor grand prix and newly developed technology ready to be sold to the market. That event is being held on the eastern side of the building and most notably a good chunk of the city itself," He explained before pulling out a large tablet with a holographic map of three individuals, "These are your targets, Jason Kronstdat, Sierra Kronstdat and Ralph Kronstdat. Jason is a multi billionaire and head owner of Kronstdat industries which specialises in technology development for Atlas. Now from what my sources tell me, and I just received this in the last fourteen hours or so, but the Kronstdat family runs a ring of information collection all over the world. From bank details of wealthy investors to the most secretive type of people pulling the strings in the dark in order to control the world. Not only that, they run the Howler Cartel here in Vale. 'My own personal army' he calls it."

"This man surely has painted himself a big target. And how reliable is are your sources?"

"An anonymous contact tipped me this information. I'm one their regular clients. Money in the right pockets can net you great values."

"Why the rush? Why execute them right now? Can't we wait for the event to finish and deal with them in a subtler manner?"

"Good question, you see, the family are always never together. This is one of the few rare events that they're present in the same damn city. Now I don't know about you, but chasing them down across the globe one by one is a pain in the ass."

"Fair point, risky either way."

"Back on track, with his large information ring and underground army, Jason practically controls Vale from the shadows. Sierra Kronstdat, his daughter is a professional racer and will be competing in the race today. She drives her signature red sponsored Kronstdat super car. Bear in mind she has a bit of temper and is daddy's dearest. She contributes little to the Howler cartel but I find that hard to believe. And then we have the big boy of the family, Ralph Kronstdat. Ralph runs security of the building while also supplying training to the Howler Cartel in making sure they are on par with elite special forces comparable to fresh graduate Huntsman. This entire business is family oriented and severing all three heads of the serpent guarantees chaos amongst the company and the Cartel."

"You are really serious about this aren't you?" Jaune raised a curious brow at the crime lord, "You actually want me to walk in there now and eliminate the whole family?"

"I have my own personal gains, and by having you eliminate these fuckwits gives me a window of opportunity to swoop in and overtake the company and the Cartel. If that happens, expect to see Vale in better conditions mark my words." Torchwick waved his cane.

"And this Kronstdat family, you say they develop technology for Atlas? Wouldn't ridding the family basically hurt Atlesian productions?"

"From what my sources say, the Kronstdat family has produced numerous weapons for Atlas under the guise of technology advancement. But yes, when the family falls today, Atlas will be forced to turn towards other companies to supply them with new types of weapons for their armies."

"Feels like we're hitting way too many targets here," Jaune grimaced as he eyed the building up and down.

"That is none of our concern, your job is to eliminate the family by any means necessary. Quite preferably without raising any suspicion."

"Any more intel before I walk into this hell hole? You told me to not raise any suspicion so I'll need to know a rough estimate of where my targets are going to in."

Roman glanced at his watch before bringing up a holographic layout of the building, "The race will be starting in ten minutes, Sierra will be on the race course for a duration of twenty and that's it. Jason will no doubt be hanging on the penthouse level where he has a comfortable view of the track and access to the T.V. His son is most likely with him on the same floor but in the security room where his eyes will be monitoring everything like a hawk. If not, he'll be trailing his father like an obedient dog."

"Huh, penthouse ey?" Jaune murmured to himself as he glanced at the highest point of the building, "Let me change into something more presentable." He said before exiting the vehicle.

Retrieving a black suitcase from the boot of the vehicle, he stopped by the door and leaned in through the window, "Look after her while I'm gone, we may need to leave in a big hurry once I'm done."

"We'll see then. Try not to blow up the building, I may need it in my campaign in being Vale's number one crime lord." Torchwick gave a departing salute as Jaune walked off.

Walking up to the sliding doors, it opened with a soft welcoming hiss that blended well with the futuristic architect inside. Decorative sculptures hung from the ceilings coupled with the walls sporting obtrusive patterns. Clearly Jason had a taste for art, and the man took pride in his tastes.

Upon entering the building, Jaune had noticed no security checkpoint whatsoever which prompted him to assume that security had been diverted elsewhere while leaving the entrances unguarded. A mistake, but one that he could use to his advantage. To his right stood two guards dressed in red velvet suits guarding a well decorated stairway that lead to a 'showcase exhibit' on the second floor. To his left was another path that led down to the bathrooms while also branching off into another exhibit room.

Acting casually, he went down the path that lead to the bathrooms and disappeared quickly. Entering one of the stalls, he set down his suit and hastily changed into a black suit. Fishing out his signature Becker bowie knife and push dagger, he holstered it in the secret compartments of his suit. Doing the same for his suppressed pistol, he stowed it away so that both weapons would be easy to draw when the time called for it.

Packing up his suit case, he exited the stall and quickly changed his hairstyle to avoid any sort of suspicion once he exited. Leaving the bathroom, he made his way down the hall and outside the building towards the car. Dumping his suit in the boot, it was time to officially carry out his contract.

Taking the same route towards the bathrooms again, the assassin made a sharp right and entered the empty exhibition hall, save for a few employees minding their own business. To think people would've been interested in eying the new car Kronstdat was producing, guess he was proven wrong.

Eying the security guard at the far end of the room, Jaune casually eyed the display vehicle up and down while noticing the restricted room to his left. In front stood two staff members talking away about the 'big' plans Kronstdat had for the innovation in car designs and such. It didn't take long for their conversation to die down as the two blokes had been called elsewhere to assist with something.

Alone in the room with the guard at the end, Jaune waited patiently for him to look away before slipping into the restricted area. Keeping his footsteps to a bare minimum, he hugged the wall as he heard voices on the other side. Peeking around, he saw two security guards having a slow conversation.

Studying his environment, the area was a large aquarium boasting a wide array of sea life from the tiniest fishes to big great white sharks lurking about. Surely he could use this to his advantage now?

As the two men rambled on about their personal lives, Jaune pandered his eyes around the area in search of a distraction. Spotting a screwdriver on top of a wooden crate, he quickly grabbed the tool and hugged the wall again. Peeking from the safety of his cover, he judged the distance at where the tool would land if he threw it.

Committing to the cause anyway, the assassin estimated his mark and threw the metal object. Soaring past the heads of the guards, the tool landed on the carpet with a distinguishable sound which garnered the attention of the two guards.

As one of them broke away to seek out the disturbance, the other stayed by the open top aquarium to watch his partner's back. Sadly that was a grave for both guards as Jaune slipped away from his hiding spot and quickly ran up to the first guard.

Knife drawn in his hand, he quickly buried the blade at the base of the skull and quickly slammed it upwards at a forty-five degree angle. Knowing the entire scuffle still generated a lot of noise, he quickly drew his pistol and fired the round at the second guard's head just as he was about to turn around.

The sound of the empty casing hitting the ground was muffled thanks to the carpeted floor but it was still a risky move pulling a gun out even with subsonic ammunition loaded.

"Here's hoping I haven't riled anyone up yet, better make this fast and quick." Jaune said to himself while throwing the body into the pool for the hungry sharks to feast on.

Making his way through the empty aquarium, he stumbled across and employee only door and went through. Met by a set of stairs, it was clear he was on the right track as there was a sign prohibiting regular staff and security past that point. Carefully walking towards the stairwell, he ducked away as he spotted a camera out of the corner of his eye.

"Damn, this is bad. I can't get caught on tape. If that son of his is watching, then this whole thing is botched. Unless I can make it look like an accident?" He wondered to himself while eying his pistol.

The good thing about the suppressed pistol in his hand was that is was custom made and completely open to customization. Truly subsonic ammunition was a gift to this world; it made life much easier when shooting targets in closed and open spaces where stealth is required. If Jaune played his cards right, he could take the camera offline by making it look like an accident.

"Here goes." He mouthed before leaning back far enough so that he wouldn't be spotted initially. Seeing that the camera was facing the other way, he quickly lined up a shot and fired at the large target.

With short fizz and a few sparks, the device stopped working and was bound to be noticed by security personnel in the control room. As the bullet casing was ejected from the gun, it landed on the floor with a sharp sound akin to a coin. The beauty about this pistol lied in the fact that it fired .45 subsonic ammo in conjunction with the suppressor which made it almost silent. Sure it would've been heard, but only by the people standing in the same room as him. Beyond that it would sound like a low indistinguishable clap.

The sound of approaching footsteps alarmed the assassin and prompted him to seek out cover behind a vending machine. Peering around the corner, the approaching guard never came down the stairs and must've stopped on the first set due to where his voice resonated from.

"Command I'm at the scene now. There's nothing in sight and it seems that the camera itself suffered some sort of accident. Must've blown a fuse, there's a small hole but it looks like the blast came from the inside," There was a short deafening pause before he spoke again, "Copy that, resuming patrol over."

A small sigh escaped Jaune's mouth as the situation somehow was de-escalated. With the camera out of the way, he could hopefully progress into the restricted area with little problems. But hoping for that was really stretching things thin.

Snaking his way up the stairs, he ducked into a doorway as a patrol of guards walked by. Call it instinct, but Jaune always had this knack of predicting events that were bound to happen a split second before it transpired. As the patrol rolled pass, he tried his luck on the door handle and surprisingly the door opened.

Revealing a room full of robotics displayed on the table, he held his breath as two men in lab coats buried their faces on the complex machinery laid about the tables. Thankfully they were buried deep in their work that they failed to notice the assassin slipping past them and making for the door on the far left side.

Hastily making his way inside, Jaune found himself inside a server room. Seeing nothing of importance, he feared he may have led himself to a dead end and would've meant going back into the previous room and risk being caught.

But not all hope was lost as there was another door present which basically screamed 'open me!' as its welcome sign. As he opened the mysterious door, he was met with a blessing that only luck or fate could've provided. The area was a storage place but joined the current floor with the one above. Not only did this save time, but it also meant avoiding myriad of guards in this damn complex.

Scaling the wall, he flawlessly made it onto the next floor and opened the door to another server room. Navigating the cramp space, he opened the door to his right and was presented with a lounge room leading to a balcony overlooking the city. Adjusting his senses, he stopped himself at the last second from exiting the room as the sounds of footsteps echoed past him.

Hearing it grow fainter, he strode out of the area and quickly analysed his surroundings. Peeking past the corner, he caught a glimpse of two guards down the hall keeping a watchful eye of the area. Towards his right was another open room housing an employee speaking nervously on the phone to some higher up judging by the way he frantically tried to calm the person down.

There was no way he could eliminate the guards without drawing attention to himself, even if he managed too there was probably more down the hall who would notice the onslaught. It would be troublesome for Jaune to bring the whole place down on him since there was a public event raging on outside.

Unless he wanted the entire police district on his arse, Jaune wasn't going to take his chances. Deciding to infiltrate the room where the employee stood, he casually walked through the empty lounge and entered the next area with caution. Stopping dead in his tracks, his foot was about to cross the line into the next room as he noticed two figures gunning straight for the door. Quickly turning around, he pandered towards the bookshelf and blended in as if he were a guest waiting for an audience with someone.

"Rupert, where the hell is Major Stirling? That man was supposed to be here half an hour ago and he still hasn't shown up. Dammit if you gave him the wrong directions I will personally gut you myself!" The man barked in a heavy voice.

"I'm sorry Mister Kronstdat, I'm trying my best to locate him but security still hasn't reported anything. I've called every aspect of the building and they've come back with nothing. Even the front desk hasn't reported him entering the complex." The desk clerk known as Rupert replied.

"Well try harder! Mr Stirling is one of the biggest buyers we have right now and I went through a lot of trouble just convincing him to show up at this convention. Find him!" The man, assuming to be Jason, growled before stomping out of the room.

"We'll be in the private lounge, you know what to do" A deep, but much kinder voice, said before leaving the area.

"Two Kronstdats in one room? Jason and Ralph? That makes this a whole lot easier then. I can tag the two of them if I play this right." Jaune said to himself before pulling away from the bookshelf.

Peering down the hall, the guards haven't taken notice to his presence and were just as oblivious. Clearly security was tight but the guards themselves were sloppy. It was as if they weren't even trying to do their jobs.

Resuming his course of actions, the assassin came up from behind the desk jockey and quickly sent a quick punch towards his jaw. Knocking the man flat out, he placed the body in way that it looked like the clerk was having a nap rather than being obvious that his lights had been smashed.

Peering out the door, the private lounge housing Jason and his son was visible directly from this position. The most obvious thing that Jaune picked up was that the two men were watching the race and perhaps Sierra herself in her signature red flamboyant car. It would be suicidal of him to walk in and eliminate the two as there were obviously other guards in the area visible or not.

Clearly the Kronstdats were watching the race live and that meant they were probably hooked up a satellite nearby that received the feed directly from the camera crews down in the tracks. If he could disable the feed then perhaps a guard would come down to fix the dish or maybe the man himself would rush out and watch the race himself.

"And the race is entering its final lap folks, this is it! This is the big finale we've all been waiting for!" The announcer jeered over the P.A systems.

"Shit, just my luck. Now I have to make this quick or else I'll lose my opportunity!" Jaune screamed internally before hastily exiting the area.

Moving slowly yet quickly, he was surprised by the lack of guards in the garden area as it literally exposed the private lounge to an open attack. Just reflects the poor performance on the security team's part. Either way, it made his job much easier so less complaints on his end.

Locating the satellite dish itself wasn't hard as multiple signs were painted on the walls directing him towards it. Everything was easy up to the point wherein the dish was kept behind a barbed fence. The gate was padlocked shut by a thick lock but that didn't stop Jaune from breaking in.

Casting a small ice spell, he froze the entirety of the lock before smashing it to pieces with the handle of his knife. Gaining entry to the dish, he quickly opened the fuse box and flipped the switches to turn off the dish. Completing the first part of his task, he only hoped the distraction lured out a guard so that he could tag him and steal his clothes.

Peering over the gap in the railings, the area itself offered a magnificent view of the race track and was in close proximity to the finish line.

What Jaune heard next was something only the gods above would bless him with as Jason's angry voices could be heard approaching. The amount of slurs being omitted was something comparable to that of a prisoner and Jason Kronstdat let his anger make the best of him.

Quickly looking around the room, the only place that Jaune could behind was a medium sized box crate in the corner. Taking his chances, he made a mad dash towards the object and executed a power slide before settling behind the object.

"Stupid fucking piece of shit dish! The one time when I want it to work it doesn't fucking want to do it. Why did I bother settling with this fuckwit when I could've gotten something better? By Oum curse this thing to oblivion!" Jason ranted as he kicked the gate open and approached the dish in rage.

"Father, how about we finish our business up here and return to the lounge. It's dangerous up here." Ralph suggested to him in a soothing manner.

"Not now Ralph! Look Sierra is about to approach the finish line! That's my girl, making me proud as always. Go fetch me some water boy, and make it quick. I don't want any buts. Do it now!"

"Yes, father. As you wish" Ralph obediently said before jogging off.

"There's my Sierra, bring it home for the family!"

As if a psychotic idea came to mind, Jaune moved out from his cover and made a mad dash towards the multi billionaire himself. There was no guarantee this plan could work but his body had committed to the idea and there was no stopping it.

As his footsteps garnered the attention of the business man, he let out a startled gasp and raised his hands in denial. With a sharp push from his arms, Jaune had pushed the man over the railings and watched as the business tycoon plummeted to his demise.

What came next would shock the perhaps half the world as Sierra's signature car came up to the finish line and would've been proclaimed as the grand champion. But that never happened as the body of Jason Kronstdat landed in front of Sierra's car which threw the car of course causing it to collide into the safety barrier.

A loud bang was emitted from the crash and the chaos that came next ensured the death of both Sierra and Jason as Jason's corpse was mangled from the sheer force of the super car. For Sierra, the car was flipped and torn in half from the collision with the barrier and her seat was thrown out of the vehicle. The final nail in the coffin came from the collision of the other racers as their cars collided with Sierra's chair tearing the body and object apart and sent their cars into a frenzy of collisions. The noise was surely nerve racking to say the least.

Suffice to say, the crowd was in shock and screams ensued and racers did their best to stop their cars to avoid the wreckage that had many lives already. It was this cue that Jaune decided to take his leave at the destruction he caused. But his job was not finished as Ralph still remained.

But Jaune didn't have to travel far to find Ralph, heck he didn't have to leave the area because Ralph just showed up in time to hear the carnage being played out below. His face was in dire shock as his mind attempted to process what had just happened.

For Jaune, he didn't even give the man a second to blink as he drew his pistol and planted a bullet right through bridge of his nose. Not taking his chances, he fired another round at his head before firing one last bullet into his chest where his heart would've been situated.

It was over, the contract was done and all three Kronstdat family members were dead. The deaths of both Jason and Sierra would be viewed as a mass accident while Ralph's would've been seen as a hit and run. Either way, there was very little to trace back as no one saw him executing Ralph in broad daylight.

Hastily leaving the crime scene, Jaune went back the way he came from with extra caution. Pausing behind a corner, he overheard the conversation chatter of a few guards who were scrambling to locate Jason and Ralph. As the group took off, Jaune came out from his corner and continued on his journey towards the exit.

The exit journey was rather quick as most of the security personnel were thrown into an emergency frenzy and were sent elsewhere for assistance. Either way, it made Jaune more or less inconspicuous as he strolled out of the building as if he had no idea what the entire commotion was about.

Re-joining Torchwick in his car, the crime lord had his jaw hanging open as if he was still trying to process what had happened. Giving the man a shit eating grin, he started up the car and took off in quick haste as he decided to put as much distance between himself and the crime scene.

* * *

"What in the living hell just happened?!" Torchwick asked hysterically while reviewing the footage of the 'accident'.

"You told me to carry it out by any means necessary. I trusted my gut and did what I had to do. Now the world thinks Jason and Sierra Kronstdat perished in a horrendous racing accident and Ralph Kronstdat was murdered in an apparent homicide. One that left no evidence behind other than .45 rounds which is easily acquired on the civilian market. Of course there'll be a trail left behind, but a dead end at that." Jaune explained casually while taking a sip from his drink every now and then.

"Oum Almighty man, I wasn't expecting something like this." Torchwick gestured at the gruesome images of the crash, "But seeing as how you got the job done, I am not complaining. Seeing as how a company as big as Kronstdat is seen on the market, the media and police department will suspect a rival company carried out the hit. In a way, this is a blessing in disguise. With the Kronstdats out of the way, I can focus on building a new empire that will be far superior to the shitty empire Jason was running with the Howler Cartel," A small sigh escaped the crime lord as he eyed the large board containing multiple images of targets he wished to eliminate. Crossing out the images of the Kronstdat family, the list of targets grew smaller by a small margin, "I gotta say, you really to deliver on your part dear fellow."

"It would be a shame to not deliver on my end, what good is an assassin who can't kill his target?" Jaune replied.

"Point taken. Expect the money to be in your account by the next day. You've outdone yourself today my friend, I believe you've earned yourself a drink." Torchwick raised an empty glass as an offer.

Staring at the glass, he shot Torchwick a quick glance who wore an inviting look. Not one to turn down a drink, he took the glass and Torchwick let out a triumphant sound as he began pouring him a drink. Knocking their glasses together, the two downed their portions in one swift go.

Feeling a low vibration in his pocket, Jaune silently gestured to Torchwick that he was needed elsewhere. Breaking away to a corner, he leaned against the wall and answered the call knowing full well who it was.

"Hello there, how can I help you?" He began friskily

"I'm hearing over the news about a major accident at the Vale grand prix. I suppose you don't have anything to do about it now do you?" A familiar female voice came through.

"No, absolutely not. Pffft, why do you automatically assume every major accident that occurs is by my hand? I do agree that what happened was indeed a tragedy!" Jaune lied in the most terrible manner with the horrendous posh accent he was trying to converse in.

"Right….If you say so then…..Anyway I hope you're having fun in the city. I'm still stuck behind this desk finishing my work. Try not to return too late and don't make me come after your drunk ass in the event you do end up getting wasted."

"Yes, yes, whatever you say partner dearest. Is that all?"

A small audible sigh came through, "Yes that will be all, see you soon~"

As the call hung up, Jaune slipped the scroll into his pocket before re-joining Torchwick at his white board full of hitlists. As the man busied himself with the map of Vale, Jaune watched with a keen eye as the crime lord worked his magic on pulling the right strings together to form this new empire of his. Calls came in an out by dozens, all of which were handled professionally by his flamboyant personality.

It was a surprise to be sure but a welcoming one at that as a familiar figure strode into the area as if it was her home. Greeted by Torchwick's flamboyant side, the man celebrated the arrival of his number one companion.

"Neo! Glad you finally returned," Torchwick gave her a quick hug, "I take if things went well in Mistral? Our partners should be cooperating without any problems now?" The look on his face giddy with anticipation of good news.

With only a silent nod and a thumbs up from the colourful girl, it was all Torchwick needed to give another loud cheer before resuming his duties at the board. Something within the man fired him up to the point he wanted to run his own empire, and he was getting so ever close to his goal.

"Greetings Roman," A low voice echoed throughout the room as the sounds of heels hitting the ground grew closer.

"Oh what a surprise my dear 'colleague'." Torchwick sarcastically greeted her as he lit a cigarette.

A feminine figure emerged from the shadow with such grace that Jaune was surprised for the first few seconds. Her entrance was somehow subtly dramatic to say the least as she looked like she was walking down the cat walk with how flawless her movements were.

"You're _late_ with your delivery again. You were supposed to provide a fresh shipment of weapons a week ago! Where are they?" The ashen-black haired woman asked in passive aggressive manner.

A small frown formed on Roman's lips, "I apologize deeply for this error Ma'am. But I have just received word that the train has run into some problems and won't be in the City until the next day or so. I can only do so much, but I can't fix a train in a few hours and expect it to not break down again."

The woman sighed and rested a hand on her hips, "Do you know the consequences of failing to meet my quotas? Do you?" She began in a serious tone before drawing in closer in an intimidating fashion, "Need I remind you of what I do to people who disappoint me severely? You joined hands with me because I promised you great power, but the fact that you managed to fail one simple delivery request shows why you will always remain a low life wannabee crime lord in my eyes." She growled while gunning him down with that deathly stare of hers.

*Ahem* Jaune forced a cough as to break the tension. Unfortunately he had now garnered the attention of everyone in the room.

"Who is he?" The woman slowly pointed with a curious tone.

Roman gently backed away from the woman before beginning, "That person right there is responsible for supplying you with Dust exclusive from the SDC."

"You're joking right?" She wore a guise of disbelief before realising that the man was serious.

Yeah right, as if she could've done a better job without bringing the entire base on top of her.

"No, I am being honest here. Him and his partner were singlehandedly responsible for the raid on the SDC compound and Atlesian base. Thanks to them you have your precious dust supply. I would be showing some appreciation mind you." The crimelord eyes his nails, waiting for the next response.

As the mysterious woman eyed Jaune, she slowly walked up to him and examined him from head to toe. Meanwhile the young lad leaned against the wall and kept a relaxed posture as if he had no care for the world. The disrespect being exhibited pissed Cinder off internally.

She leaned in, close to his face to the point her scent rubbed onto him, "So you're the one responsible for such destruction? To be honest I was expecting a special type of strike force to be responsible for the attack. But two people? I find that hard to believe, but since Torchwick here is vouching for you, I'll believe some part of it," She ran a finger up and down his undershirt and the way she leaned in was a definite invasion of his privacy. It was probably meant to intimidate him. Give a psychological edge for what was about to take place.

"Whatever you say miss, but I would appreciate it if you can stand a reasonable distance away from me. You're invading my personal space" Jaune gently pushed her away with a lone finger while wearing a smug look.

A frown overcame the woman's face as she was displeased with her results. She folded her arms in a disappointed manner and returned her attention to Torchwick, "I want that shipment Roman, if it fails to turn up don't expect me to forgive you so easily next time. That is, if I do forgive you." She smirked before disappearing into the darkness, her heels growing fainter every passing second.

"My, my, she really is a special case that woman. I hope you she didn't cause much trouble around you." Torchwick took a puff of his cigar before returning to his duties.

"Not much trouble really, she seemed odd. But boy does she love to try and gain dominance at every chance she gets. May work on most men, I've seen those types of actions, devastating results when played right." Jaune said in an unimpressed tone.

"I see, impressive nonetheless." Torchwick nodded.

* * *

It was half past six the time Jaune decided to depart the quarters of where Torchwick resided in. The sun had dipped below the horizon and the night sky began to bloom above as usual. As the moon cast its blessing over Vale, it signalled as a wake up call for the darker parts of the city particularly for the insane. But it also meant more people out on the streets since it was a weekend and that meant plenty of bars were going to be full tonight.

Climbing into his car, he started the vehicle up and quickly took off. Coming out onto the main street, he decided to pay the main city a visit as to what sort of sights he would stumble across. Foot coming down onto the accelerator, the car picked up significant speed and flew like a rocket down the suburban streets of Vale.

Pulling up to a set of red lights, the engine purred in the back ground as he patiently waited for the lights to change. Unbeknownst to the teen, he completely failed to notice four familiar faces in the side mirror until it was too late.

"Jaune?!" A haughty voice blurted out.

Startled by the noise, he turned to the source and found team RWBY standing on the footpath with Yang sporting the biggest grin ever. The rest of the team merely stared in awe at the vehicle he was in.

"You can drive?!" Weiss pointed at him in disbelief.

"Uhhh…yeah...I got my license awhile ago in case you didn't know." Jaune said slowly.

"Looks like Vomit Boy have been hiding his status now. Must be a pretty rich family to give you one of these bad babies!" Yang said.

Glancing at the lights, his foot was eager to come down on the accelerator but they still hadn't given the go signal. The lights sure were taking their sweet time tonight, "Well yeah, hehehe, a bit spoiled should I say."

"How come you didn't tell us about this?!" Ruby asked.

"Why would he you dolt? You don't casually tell everyone you have an expensive car to show off. It would simply attract unnecessary attention." Weiss lectured the young girl.

"Pffft, whatever you say Heiress" Yang scoffed.

"Hey!" Weiss shot back.

As the lights turned green, Jaune knew it was time for him to leave, "There goes my cue guys. Gotta go now!" He waved.

"Bye!" They waved in unison.

As the rear wheels spun wildly, the sports car took off with a bang and came down the street leaving team RWBY in the dust. For Jaune he was completely unaware that team RWBY visited the city casually. And then he remembered, Pyrrha was supposed to be them but wasn't. What ever happened to the huntress? Perhaps she was meeting up with them at designated place perhaps?

Whatever it was, Jaune could only hope for the best as he continued down the road and into the busier parts of Vale. Rolling past the various bars and shops, he attracted the many eyes of pedestrians who fancied his car up and down. Deciding to cut away from the crowd, he quickly made a right turn and into the quieter parts of the city.

Travelling down the road at a reasonable pace, he was slowed to almost a snail's pace as the road he was on was packed with parked cars and random civilians would jump out of nowhere and get hit. Hitting a pedestrian was the last thing he needed today as it would ruin his already reasonably enjoyable day.

Passing by several alley way openings, he kept a watchful eye out on the side walks for anything interesting that might catch his eye as he rolled by.

Feeling his foot nearly jump onto the brakes, his eyes fell upon a familiar figure as his card rolled by fast enough for him to make out the most obvious details. Quickly finding a place to execute a u-turn, he made the action and came down the road again and searched for his team mate. Spotting her walking briskly along the path, he hanged back as to keep a civil distance while picking out the various details.

He had seen her face as he rolled by and was sure it was Pyrrha. Looking at her outfit, she wore a deep red sweater coupled with a black skirt and black leggings to go with the suburban look. Perhaps simplicity was what she had aimed for? If so she definitely nailed some aspects of it.

What transpired next confused Jaune to the next oblivion plane as he watched Pyrrha stop for a few good seconds before heading down a dark alley way. Of all the things she could she decided to go down the dark alley way. Was she out of her mind or was something bigger happening that he was just unaware of.

Pulling the car to a complete halt, he checked his rear view mirrors to see if there were any cars behind him. Thankfully there were none and that allowed him to exit the vehicle and follow his team mate down her mysterious choice of paths.

Before he could do any of that, a white van soared out from the covers of the alley way and made a sharp turn onto the street. Tires screeching madly, the large vehicle took off down the road without any care in the world as if it was in a mad rush against time.

Before Jaune realized what had just happened the van was good hundred metres or so away from him and growing smaller. Foot jumping off the clutch and down the accelerator, the engine roared as he quickly shifted into second gear and the GTR took off like a rocket. Shifting into fifth gear within the next five seconds, his foot never left the accelerator as the car broke the speed limits and went past 200km/h and slowly reaching 250km/h. Racing past traffic lights and the slower cars, he slowly caught up to the van and kept an agreeable distance.

For Jaune, he felt as if though he lost the element of surprise and now the thugs knew they were being trailed. If that was the case, them he would have to break away at some point to look like he wasn't following in the first place and instead wanted to prompt a race with a van.

If he lost the element of surprise then surely he must've endangered Pyrrha even further. But there was no guarantee that Pyrrha was even in the van, what if it was simply a normal van? The myriad of negative thoughts swarmed Jaune's head but he stuck to his gut instincts and they screamed at him, telling him that Pyrrha was in there with those goons.

Seeing a turning point up ahead, he quickly over took the van and sped past the big vehicle. Making a sharp right, he banged his gear stick down into third while doing the turn before banging it back into fourth as he began going straight again. Looping around the block, he hastily completed his loop and hung behind a few more cars this time as to conceal his intentions.

Trailing the shady vehicle, his cover in front began to dissipate as the drivers had their own businesses to deal with. Soon it was Jaune in his GTR trailing a shoddy white van down the streets of Vale. He couldn't make the loop again as it would've just made himself more obvious to the goons in front.

The trail grew longer and longer as the van lead Jaune into the darker parts of Vale, most notable where there were fewer street lights and little to no human activity. This was either the quiet parts of Vale or the slums, both seemed plausible as well.

As an idea popped into his head, he figured out the roads ran parallel in this section of the city and that meant he could still trail the van without raising the suspicion bar higher than it already was. Quickly executing a left turn, he made his way down the narrow road before resuming his path. Following the van parallel on its path, he caught a quick glimpse of the vehicle every now and then when there was a narrow alley way amongst the houses.

The chase itself had gone past its climatic stage and was now a game of follow the mouse who was aware it was being trailed. Nevertheless, Jaune stuck to the chase stubbornly and was lead deeper into the under developed area before the van disappeared from sight. Quickly returning onto the road where the van was originally on, he glanced around frantically for clues on where it might've disappeared too.

The fear of losing his target caught up with him as he had no clue where the vehicle had gone too. Banging the steering wheel in frustration, he gritted his teeth impatiently as he scoured the area for more clues. The road he was on came to a dead end as the path ahead was mostly gravel and abandoned stores and small warehouse lined the unfinished streets. For all he knew, he had to search each and every one of these places for any signs of the vehicle.

Pulling his care into a quiet spot, he hastily exited the vehicle and locked it tight. Still wearing the suit from this afternoon, he paid no heed to his attire and adorned with pride instead. If he did end up killing, he would damn well do it with style.

Throwing his knife into the air, he landed on the rusty rooftops and crouched low. Gently making his way across the unstable platforms, he hoped to Oum that his footsteps wouldn't garner every living thing's attention in the entire district no matter how lightly he treaded.

Keeping his ears open, he heard no signs of activity in the buildings he was currently above. Making his way further down, he heard a small heavy laugh that was quickly silenced by someone else. It was already too late as Jaune had found the first sign of activity and he hoped to the gods that is was what he was looking for.

Teleporting swiftly on the rooftop, he peered through the hole in the roof and gazed at the scene down below. Sure enough, his hunch was correct and below him was Pyrrha tied to a chair surrounded by various crates and at least three thugs who kept watch. Eavesdropping in on the conversation, he wondered if he could gather more intel before storming the place.

"Oi boss, we definitely scored the correct one, right? Is this what Madam Black asked for?"

"That's definitely her alright. They're paying us a good lump of cash for this girl. Make sure nothing touches or harms her. We've been given strict orders to make sure she is in pristine condition."

"Such a cute face, wonder how much she'll go for an auction?"

Confirming his approach, Jaune quickly gave a run down of the situation in his head and repeated it one last time.

"Damn, seems they knocked Pyrrha out cold. How could they though? I thought Pyrrha was one of the best Huntresses in Beacon? How did this come to be? Never mind that, I've seen only three thugs but there could be more. I'll have to subdue most of the threats and if needed be, dispatch them should the situation arise. Priority is to keep the hostage alive, exercise maximum caution and check fire from both sides."

Taking a deep breath, the assassin counted his timing and breached the rooftop with minimal effort. Falling down at a constant speed, he focused on the visible targets and landed on the big heavy brute in the room. Startling everyone else, he threw his revolver with enough force to stagger the first thug before teleporting above the second one.

Executing a back handed kick, his foot connected with the goons jaw and knocked the living day lights out of him. Moving to the other smaller thug, he was still massaging his nose after receiving a revolver to the face. Slamming his fist into the man's jaw, he knocked him clean out before instinctively ducking. As the big brute's arm soared over his head, he quickly latched onto it and scaled the giant before locking his legs around the giant's neck.

As the brute responded in kind by hitting Jaune with his fists, it was a predictable move and the assassin saw it coming a mile away. Jumping away at the last second, the giant practically knocked himself out with minimal effort on Jaune's part.

Hearing a low pitched squeal, he looked up to find a thug fleeing the scene. A chase was in due order but Jaune chose to let the goon go as he could do little to stop him. Bringing his attention towards Pyrrha, he checked the girl's vitals and found that they were stable.

Double checking her face, it was indeed Pyrrha and it all the more convinced Jaune to extract the girl as fast as possible. Retrieving his pistol, he loosened the bonds to the chair and quickly picked his team mate up. Making a hasty exit, his foot echoed loudly against the gravel ground as he made his way towards the car.

"Jaune…?" She murmured slowly as she regained consciousness.

"Hey there, don't ask what happened. I am also confused as to what's going on. For now, let's get the hell out of here." Jaune spoke quickly.

Unlocking the vehicle, he set her down in the passenger seat and quickly hoped into the driver's area. Making sure the VIP was secure; he secured himself and brought the car to life in an instant. Foot slamming down on the accelerator, the wheels screamed loudly as the vehicle took off. Going back on the main road, he peered in the rear view mirror as the god forbidden district shrunk in the distance.

As the area was out of sight, he breathed a sigh of relief and his muscles relaxed themselves. Leaning back into his seat, he dropped the speed of the vehicle to a reasonable pace and took the road back towards the city.

"Ummm…Jaune?" Pyrrha asked in a confused tone as the vehicle cruised down the road, "What's going on? Why am I here?"

Hit by an unsure look, he shot her a side way glance before answering, "To be honest, I have no clue myself. The only thing I know is that I was driving around the city minding my own business. Then I spotted you and I sorta trailed you like a creep but I swear that wasn't my intention," He frantically shook his hand in denial, "As I was following you, for some bizarre reason you decided to go down this alley way and next thing you know this van came out from the alley way and began speeding. Then I ended up trailing the vehicle because I thought you had been kidnapped to which I was correct. Then I had-mhm"

Getting cut off by Pyrrha, she held a hand over his mouth as she peered in the rear view mirror. As she quickly turned around, she let out a short gasp and fear began to rise in her eyes.

"We're being followed, what do we do?"

"Fuck!" Jaune slapped the steering wheel as he looked into the mirror.

Sure enough two cars and a large pickup truck came barrelling down the road at full speeds. Hanging out the windows were more of the same thugs that kidnapped Pyrrha and they were heavily armed with combat rifles. As if they were in the homerun, these cunts were surely persistent with their hostages.

"Jaune, they're getting closer. What do we do?!" Pyrrha asked, panic rising in her voice.

"Hang on!" He barked before slamming his foot down on the accelerator.

As the car lurched forward with increased speeds, he shifted into fifth gear almost instantly at the indicator on the speedometer climbed slowly. Glancing into the mirror, the goons were insistent on keeping up the chase and began catching up.

"You're joking! Saleen 620 Camaros?! The Howler Cartel?! You have to be joking!" Jaune asked in awe while racing down the street to outrun the signature muscle cars.

As if they were offended by the term 'pricks' bullets began to fly by and whizzed past the windows. Startling Pyrrha, he let out a short yelp as the bullet hit too close to home. As the rear of the car was punished, Jaune hoped the bullet proof coating and material would hold. The same though applied to the windows until he could lose these sons of bitches.

"Pyrrha, I know this is asking too much. But I'm going to have to ask you too get them off our backs. Can you shoot?!" Jaune asked over the hail of bullets.

"Are you mad?" She shot back at him.

"It's our best bet Pyrrha, and we have no other options. You can turn the tide of this battle!" He urged her yet also pleaded. As he handed her a revolver, he opened the globe box to reveal a box full of .50 calibre ammo, "You know how this works yeah? These bullets have enough stopping power to disable the engine block with one or two shots. Just line up a shot and pray it hits!"

"You really are mad aren't you?!" She asked him.

"Maybe, I guess," He shrugged his shoulders, "Look, I know you have a lot of questions right now. But save them for later as we need to survive right now. I need you to cooperate so we can both make it out of this alive. Trust me Pyrrha."

Sitting here right now, in the heat of the moment. With death speeding after them while they rode a carriage of their own that could easily claim their lives with one false error. Pyrrha Nikos was still unsure of what was happening, her team leader just gave her a weapon and expected her to use it against the bad guys coming after them.

This didn't make sense, none of it did. But the questions that lingered in her head would never be answered if she didn't cooperate. Right now, Jaune Arc was he best hopes of survival and he was asking her, sincerely, to put her trust in him and do as he says. It was asking a lot from her even though she was his team mate, risking her own life for this reckless cause was a really big deal.

But the eyes of Jaune Arc convinced her to accept his proposal. He asked her with full sincerity, not holding back any secrets and revealed everything from the get-go. He was pleading her to help join this fight, and naturally Pyrrha just couldn't turn this down, not while her life and her team mates' were on the line. It was a risk she was going to take, and one she would not regret.

"Alright Jaune, I'll do it. Keep the car steady and I'll handle the rest."

"Alright Pyr, I'll leave it to you." He nodded.

As the window rolled down, another barrage of bullets whizzed by and bounced off the car and left noticeable dents. Hanging half her body out the window, the Huntress took aim and fired the first round in the chamber. A frustrated _-tsk-_ came from her mouth as the bullet missed its mark. Lining up her next shot, she held her fire as the car jerked wildly to avoid on coming traffic. Keeping her aim steady, she fired again and this time the bullet hit home. However it wasn't enough as the car kept ploughing forward at full speed.

"Pyrrha, get in! They're about to fire again!" Jaune warned her.

Stubbornly refusing to heed the warning, Pyrrha quickly aimed down the sights and rapidly pulled on the trigger. Quickly expending all the ammunition in the cylinder, she ducked back in just in time as the thugs opened fire again. None of her marks hit home and she gritted her teeth in frustration.

Emptying the barrel of the gun, the empty casings dropped down onto the floor while she began loading fresh new bullets in. Finishing her cycle, the gunfire had stopped outside and she resumed her mission of putting the thugs off.

Lining up her shots, she fired and the missed her mark again, aiming again she lined up the next shot. Despite the chaos happening around her and the adrenaline running through her, she still kept her cool and was able to aim properly despite the distractions.

Hammer falling down, the gun discharged again and this time the next shot embedded itself into the same car. As the engine block began to spout smoke, the vehicle began to visibly slow and down and soon came to a complete halt. Shrinking in the distance, the last remaining car remained vigilant in its pursuit and began driving erratically in hopes of throwing her aim off.

As the thugs appeared out the window, they all lined up their shots prompting Pyrrha to duck back into the vehicle and wait out the storm.

"Nice shot by the way, you're doing well." Jaune chuckled.

"Really?" She asked in disbelief while breathing heavily.

"Hell yeah! One more and we're home free. Although I can't say about home as we're now on the free way. As much as I hate to say it, we failed to lose 'em in the city. We're practically sitting ducks here where we are right now." He grimaced.

"Hang on; let me take care of this guy."

Leaning back out the window, she aimed down the sights and began firing away at the vehicle. Determined to take the pricks down, she had one last bullet in the cylinder before she had to reload. Aiming carefully, she fired the gun and scored a direct hit on the engine block. As the car began to sputter, the driver lost all control and collided with the safety barrier and broke through the wall. Watching the car fall into the ocean below, it landed with a loud splash that sealed the deal. Pyrrha let out a shocked gasp as she realized she was responsible for the deaths of those men.

"Oh, that was unexpected." Jaune mouthed as he saw what happened in the mirror.

As Pyrrha still hung outside the window, she felt weird after witnessing herself potentially killing those men. It was a hot mess within her as she couldn't pin point her exact feelings as wasn't even bothered to pin it down due to the situation they were in.

Her train of thoughts were quickly interrupted as the sound of a helicopter approaching overhead could be heard. As she wasn't blinded by the headlights before, her vision was now obscured by a blinding light as the helicopter shone its spotlight down on them.

"You have to be joking, a fucking chopper!?" Jaune groaned.

"What now?" Pyrrha asked as she returned into the seat.

"I honestly have no clue. Maybe pull over and shoot it down? Sounds stupid but it can work." He replied.

Suddenly a loud explosion rocked their ears as the helicopter above could be heard spiralling towards the ground as it lost control. Hearing a loud crash, the bird fell out of the sky in a fiery heap and landed behind them on the road with loud bang.

As the sound of a bull head's engine soared over head. The vehicle did one fly by and banked away into the distance never to be seen again. Either someone sent that bull head or something else was going on, whatever it was it wasn't going to end well.

"We can't turn back now; we'll have to lay low for the rest of the night. I know a place up ahead where we can rest. Not far now." He assured her before flooring the accelerator.

"Mmm." Pyrrha replied with a tired look and in a soft voice.

Unsure of what was going through the girl's head, the only thing he knew for sure was that she was in a state of shock right now. Knowing himself, he was infinitely bad at handling people undergoing such a phase. All he could do was leave her be for now.

"This isn't going to end well." He groaned internally.

* * *

A safe house was what Jaune christened the place the first time he bought the villa. Secluded within the deep bowels of the forest and not far from the main road itself, the place offered a magnificent view of the city in the distance while serving its purpose of concealing any sort of hidden activity. But being subtle was something that didn't go through Jaune's head when he first bought the place. If he really wanted it to be a proper safe house, he would've gone and bought a run down shack and installed an underground base beneath. This Villa stood out like a sore thumb and practically screamed 'Rob me!' to any thieves passing by.

Nonetheless, they were here now, both Jaune and Pyrrha. It was an unnecessary decision but the blonde male decided it was for the best lest he wanted to drive back through the city and garner the attention of the police and Ozpin himself should he roll up to Beacon's garages in a shot up car. That and the fact that Pyrrha was more or less involved in a high speed shit show car chase that resulted in the deaths of a few people dealt by her hand. Clearly taking her back to Beacon would've been a mistake as it would draw unwanted attention from parties he wished to not get involved in.

Either way, whatever happened next involved a lot of talking and clarifying the chaos that had just transpired on this Saturday night. But boy would he be lying if it wasn't a bad Saturday night, it was terrible to say the least.

"You…okay?" Jaune voiced his concern as he sat on the couch opposite of Pyrrha.

"Hmmmm…? Yeah, I'm fine…just shaken up that's all." She offered a weak smile.

"I'm guessing you have a lot of questions running through your mind right now. Would you like a drink before we start?" He said in a professional manner.

What was this? Was Jaune secretly a therapist? The way he was handling the situation was far more professional than the way Pyrrha was. The young man was unfazed by the events, as if he were used to this sort of thing. Perhaps that was life outside of the city? Was that how harsh the world was when you're away from the comfort and walls of the Kingdom?

Pyrrha nodded slowly, "Yeah, a drink would do. Water would do fine."

"Sure thing."

As he returned with a full glass, he set the cup down on the glass table and slid it across to the woman. Downing the contents within a few seconds, Pyrrha let out a relieved gasp as her unknown thirst had been quenched. Setting the cup down, she crossed her legs and rested her hands on her lap. She was now somewhat ready for some answers despite the anxiety building up within her.

"So," he clapped his hands together, "What would you like to know first? Bear in mind I'll try to answer everything within reason."

"What happened to me? Just what happened? What the actual fuck happened?!" She callously threw the verbal slang out, confusion spreading across her face.

"Like I said before, you were kidnapped by a bunch of goons whom I have no idea who they belonged too. Probably a low life gang. Either way, I followed their trail towards the lesser sides of Vale and recovered you. That's the short version and frankly it's pretty darn accurate." He explained while maintaining a professional posture.

"By Oum does this guy actually relax?" Pyrrha asked herself while eying her team mate, "And the chase, the car chase. I didn't know you had a license, let alone a vehicle. How come I wasn't aware?"

His hand moved to the back of his head, "Well it's mostly to do with the fact that you never bothered to ask really."

"Is that so?" She replied slowly while eying him up and down.

Pyrrha's eyes darted up and down and the furiously analysed the black suit Jaune was wearing. That and the fact that a few concealed weapons were tucked away in crafty compartments that were easily accessible. Come to think of it, why was Jaune wearing a suit? Did he have some sort of secret rich party to attend tonight? But that couldn't have been the case; the suit wasn't pristine and proper. It looked like it came out from a war zone judging by the obvious creases on the top shoulders indicating excessive arm movements. Something felt off about Jaune, and it always stuck with Pyrrha's consciousness the moment she met him.

"You're hiding something aren't you? Something else is going here. Irrelevant to what had happened tonight. I somehow managed to simply get caught up in your way. Don't think I haven't noticed those weapons hidden under your coat." She casually said up front while pointing in the direction where his suppressed pistol hung.

"Damn, she's quick to catch on. Perhaps she's not as oblivious as I though." Jaune said to himself as he bit his lower lip, "You caught on quickly, didn't think you'd notice right off the bat. I guess that's what enhanced perception can do when you're under the adrenaline rush. As for your question, maybe I am hiding something, maybe I'm not. Who knows?"

Something snapped within Pyrrha, maybe it was the stress, maybe it was the after shock of the whole shenanigans twenty minutes ago. Either way, she grew impatient. She knew damn well it wasn't her place of demanding personal answers, but she damn well deserved some sort of closure after risking her ass earlier in that shit show of a race. Not only that, but she is now probably responsible for the deaths of four possibly five men. And all she was told was to 'shoot the engine block' to slow the cars down not end up leading them to their demise.

Then again what was she expecting? An accident was just bound to happen and it did. But what was done was done. She had probably caused the deaths of a few lives wether she meant it or not and now she deserved some answers after being swept up into this mess.

She leaned forward with her arms around her torso, eyes staring deep into the void that is Jaune's pupils, "Jaune Arc, you need to start giving me some damn closure about what's going on. You've saved me from one mess and now you've probably roped me into another that might come back around and bite us the ass in the near future. You're hiding something that's probably beyond my level of understanding, but as your friend and team mate, I can't stand this secrecy no more."

"And what makes you think I'll simply tell them?" He counteracted her, leaning in closer as if he were an animal cornering it's prey, "I am not going to simply hand over my secrets and compromise myself."

"So you are hiding something, I knew it." She wore smug look as her intentions were made clear.

Leaning back into the couch, Jaune relaxed his muscles and bit his lower lip in disappointment. He knew now that the Howler cartel had probably lost a valuable shipment that is Pyrrha and losing two good cars and a few men was enough to draw their attention.

Either way, if Pyrrha even dared to set foot back into the city the cartel would surely come after her again to secure lost goods. And if that did happen again, it wasn't to be mere coincidence that Jaune may swoop in and disrupt their operations once again. Perhaps giving Pyrrha a bit if leeway wouldn't do any harm, while risky she did deserve to know some truth as her life was practically at risk now. In the end she would end up piecing together the bits and pieces, so why not reveal them now and forget the hassle?

"Do you want to know that badly? Do you really want to know what sorts of skeletons are buried in this closet of mine?" He asked her out of the blue.

"I promise to keep your business a secret so long as you remain truthful to me. That is my one and only condition." She said.

"What's the guarantee that you won't spill the beans to someone else? Someone *higher* up?" He shot her a dark look.

"Going by the fact that whatever you're going to tell me is indeed the equivalent of risking your life, then I will not break my word." Her hand rested on her chest as a sign of confidence.

A deep sigh escaped his mouth, "You are really asking me to put a lot of trust in you. Then again, I asked you to place a lot of trust in me earlier to the point you risked your life. I guess I shall repay in kind then?"

"So long as you stick to my condition of answering everything honestly."

"And I have my own condition as well; I will reveal my secrets within reason. It will still be honest, but there are some parts that I just can't reveal. Not yet at least."

"Fair enough, we have a deal then?" She held out her hand.

"And so we do." He shook it firmly.

"Shall we begin with the guns?" She gestured with her eyes towards the grip edging out of its holster.

Moving his hand quickly, he drew the pistol from its holster and set it down the table. Revealing the full weapon to her, its dark black paint absorbed the moonlight that came through the large window panels, "You mean this? Meet this master crafted Dan Wesson 1911 Bruin. It was gift by someone 'special' to say the least. I've been using it ever since it was gifted to me."

"I always knew something was up with your fighting style, you're not accustomed to a sword and shield, are you? You prefer guns in conjunction with your semblance for quick rapid movement around the battle field." She folded her arms.

"Right you are, but I don't solely rely on guns alone. I prefer to go in close and brawl it out. A balance of both might I say." He informed her before pulling out the nine inch blade from the bowels of his pocket and setting it on the table.

"Your gear seems impressive, masterly crafted and open to various tinkering for your liking I presume?" She raised a curious a brow, "Not only that, it's not your run of the mill type of gear given to your average henchmen. This is something else, made exclusively for professionals."

There was a long pause in the room as Pyrrha just dealt the smart hand to Jaune. Clearly the girl was far more intelligent and observant than he originally presumed. But right now the only thing running through the girl's head was how suspicious Jaune was just from the evidence of his weapons alone. It spoke volumes about how much he was hiding and how much he was willing to reveal.

"Gee, I wonder who's asking the questions here?" He berated her.

"I'm just piecing together the evidence that I can see Mr Arc, so far I've been correct with my assumptions judging by the response you've given me. Your facial expressions are impressive in terms of not revealing any clues." Her tone began to shift towards a more confident one, her posture was more relaxed, clearly she indulged in this sort of activities.

His pursed his lips in an amused one, "I'm impressed, this is still the Pyrrha Nikos I know right? If so I just haven't noticed how quick you are in deciphering things."

"May we please return on topic? Obviously your secret life involves a lot of behind the scenes work. Judging by the work on your gun and knife, the suit and restraint displayed, you work as a hitman? No an Assassin for a private source?"

Pyrrha had hit the mark on his private life. For her to make such a bold assumption and be correct at the same time made her a very dangerous person. She basically had him cornered in terms of answers. If he lied, it would only spread more doubt and cause her to stick with her assumption. He knew it was risky, but since his team mate and close friend decided to ask him to trust her he would do it.

"I say Pyrrha you seemed to have hit the nail on the coffin this time. You are in fact correct, yes I am an Assassin, one that works for a private source no doubt," He said slowly, getting the words off his chest, "I'm assuming you should already know what revelations comes next. Need I spell it out for you?"

Her shoulders visibly trembled lightly as she leaned back into the couch, head down as she refused to meet with his eyes. Her confident demeanour has all but vanished, clearly she was ready to take it all, but handling it and accepting it was a different task altogether.

"Then that means-" Her voice trembled.

"Yes, I have spilled a lot of blood. These hands, they are not as firm and gentle as you think. They have reaped many lives, all for the sake of money and a place in this world," He muttered a small chuckle, "Am I monster? Yes I think so too, but that's how I've survived in this ruthless world. All my life I was taught one thing, and that was to kill. And now here I sit, shifting onwards into the future. Uncertain of what might happen next."

A long silence followed as the two sat opposite of each other. The air felt cold and heavy, tense at times. But it was clear to Pyrrha now that the person she once knew was in fact a ruthless killer who had disguised himself as a normal person. A wolf among sheep.

She twirled her fingers, unsure of what to ask next, "Do you feel anything? After taking a life, do you feel anything at all? Any feelings?" Her eyes glimmered, hoping that her friend had a conscious.

"I'm not a machine Pyrrha, of course I do feel it. You think we can't feel anything after taking someone's life? Heck, my first mission was a grand success but I felt like shit. I wanted to vomit; I was torn on the inside. But the truth is, after doing this job several times. You get used to it. The killings, the inhuman methods you do over and over again. You get used to all of it. There isn't a day that goes by where I randomly think about the poor sods I murdered, but I'm so used to it that I barely give a second thought. That's the reality Pyr."

A small but relieved sigh came from her mouth; she was content to say the least. For her at least the person she knew wasn't as cold blooded as he was made to be, "And Stella, is she involved with you?"

The blonde let out a relived groan, "Well, yes, to be honest. She is in her own league in this dangerous business. Partners we may be, we never let our private life and work interfere."

"I see…." She nodded softly.

It was at this point that Pyrrha had run out of questions to ask. Just this morning she sparred with their team leader and viewed him as an exceptional candidate for a Huntsman. She thought he was just a teenage guy coming into a prestigious school to prove his worth. Now the same team leader stood before her but in a different light, one wherein he is a professional killer who would carry out a contract no matter the cost and was an expert in doing so.

She gave her word to keep his secret, but seeing as how all of this lead to a bigger picture, she wondered if she could truly hold it all in. Perhaps she shouldn't have asked at all, perhaps she should've just stuck with the blind knowledge that Jaune Arc was truly just a regular teenage guy who wanted to be a huntsman.

"Just know this Pyrrha," He began slowly, ominous and sombre, "You gave me your word to keep this a secret. I am placing my trust in you to keep this information out of anyone's ears. But should you cross that line," His hand reached for the gun, "You run the risk of compromising me, yourself and my partner. Should that happen, I will be forced to eliminate you the first chance I get. I pray that does not happen. Please don't make do it."

His words tore through Pyrrha's heart; he clearly wasn't going gentle on her even though she was a friend. It felt like their relationship was merely a facade. But she understood the risk; she knew why he had to do it. And for her to break her word meant everlasting shame on her soul.

"You have my word Jaune Arc, I will speak of this to no one." She made a cross sign over where her heart resided.

"Good, then this con-"

As he was interrupted mid sentence, the table vibrated erratically as his scroll sprung to life. Displaying an incoming call, it was none other than Stella herself. It took her long enough to figure out what had happened. Now came the part where he had to explain the unforseen complications.

"Excuse me; please help yourself to the bathroom or any other forms of refreshments. The kitchen is for you to use." He motioned with his hand before swiping the scroll up and dashing to the balcony.

Leaving Pyrrha be, he answered the call and held the device to his ear.

"What the hell happened?!" The voice screamed hysterically.

"I take it you already know the details?" He responded with a calm demeanour.

"A high speed chase began at around nine pm tonight in downtown Vale as the ruthless Howler Cartel initiated a gun toting chase after a black Nissan GTR. Two Saleen Camaro's were reported barrelling after the vehicle with the cartel members hanging out the windows and shooting at the car. The chase ended abruptly on free way 5 when the last cartel car plummeted into the ocean. A helicopter wreckage was discovered a few hundred metres away that also belonged to the Cartel. So far a total of four cartel members have been arrested with the other six presumably dead. No sign of the runaway GTR as police are now searching for the vehicle." She threw the rundown situation.

"Huh, never thought the news would've caught on that quickly." Jaune jokingly said, albeit at the worst possible moment.

"What the actual fuck were you thinking?! How did you manage to get yourself into this mess?!" Stella demanded.

"Yeah about that mess, there's been a slight complication. One that I may or may not have predicted coming." He said sheepishly.

"What. The. Fuck. Did. You. Do?!" She said slowly.

At first he was hesitant to say that he revealed their personal lives to Pyrrha as it would've caused a massive out break. But lying to her at the same time meant an even greater punishment, "The thing is, that char chase didn't happen on purpose. I witnessed a kidnapping being undertaken by the Cartel and I couldn't let it slide."

"You idiot! That's not our jurisdiction unless said so otherwise! We're assassins, not the police you imbecile!"

"About that…..the person that was kidnapped was someone I knew personally. Yeah….." He gritted his teeth anxiously as he could hear the audible sounds of something snapping within Stella.

"Who was it? Who did you rescue?" She asked in an ominous voice.

"Erm…." He glanced at Pyrrha who was still sitting on the couch collecting her thoughts. Should he lie or tell? Either way, he preferred telling the truth rather than getting beaten up by his partner, "Pyrrha…the one they kidnapped was Pyrrha. I trailed them back to one of their hideouts and extracted her. We're now at safe house bravo."

"Do you know what this means? Does she know?! Scratch that, did you tell her!?" Her voice began to climb again.

Biting his lower lip, he knew there was no backing out now, "Yes….she knows. I told her about us, about what we do. To be honest she didn't need much telling as she had already pieced much of the evidence together. There was no point in lying to her at that point."

"You idiot!" She groaned heavily over the line, like she had been defeated, "Can we trust her? Can _you_ trust her?!"

"She gave me her word that she wouldn't tell. Besides, she knows the consequences if she ever decided to tell anyone." His voice trying to reassure her.

"Her word could mean squat you twat! Are you serious about this?! Is this an out of season April fools joke?"

Jaune shook his head at the question even though she couldn't see his movements, "I'm afraid not, I had to tell her anyway. Something's going on, something big. She wasn't just kidnapped out of the blue, someone wanted her deliberately. Whoever it is paid the Cartel to do their dirty work is now aware that an outside party is involved. She's in danger Stella, I'm not saying she's defenceless, but we both know how dangerous this world really is."

A loud groan could be heard over the phone, "Shit Jaune, that was real risky. All three of us! For the last time we're not detectives for fuck's sake! Not only that, we're going to start garnering unwanted attention to ourselves! Fuck this; I don't want to continue this conversation anymore. Just make sure you keep her safe and return to Beacon at once first thing in the morning!" She barked before the call went dead.

"And I'm royally fucked." He groaned before leaning on the railings.

Returning into the lounge area, Pyrrha still sat on the couch and was lost in her train of thoughts before they were interrupted by him sitting down opposite of her. Sitting in silence, the mood felt awkward and prompted Jaune to either say something or leave her be.

"Why join Beacon? Is there someone is Beacon you were told to kill? Is it a student? A teacher?" Pyrrha asked bluntly.

"No…..none of the above," He shook his head, "It may sound crazy to you, but I joined Beacon in the hopes of starting a new life. It may seem ridiculous but I wanted to try and leave behind my old life. Start anew at Beacon and be someone that contributes to society. How naive of me," He scoffed disappointingly, "It was a lost cause anyway; I knew I couldn't just leave my old life behind. Now I'm stuck, fighting on two different fronts is really tiresome. But I'm determined to actually make it through and graduate as a Huntsman. Be legit you know?"

"Really? I didn't know you were that determined." The guilt could be heard in her voice for wrongly accusing him.

"Well, when you get sick and tired of doing something you tend to go look in other places for a purpose. For me, I found that trying my hand at being a Huntsman would give me a solid purpose. Let's face it, what good does an Assassin bring to this world? Nothing."

"Are you committed though? To try achieving this new life of yours?" She asked in rapid succession while her eyes showed a spark. A spark that revealed an opportunity.

"Well, I haven't given up yet now have I?" He raised his hands into the air, "You've seen me put the efforts into my training. Even going so far as to use a different weapon unnatural to my style. It'll take awhile, but in a few more months I should be more than capable of skilfully using a sword. I rely on my *semblance* too much. Without it I'd find myself on my arse."

"You really are determined about completing this year. And the next ones onward until you graduate. But what about your past?"

"I know full well that my past is there, I've more or less come to accept it at this point. Maybe I won't fulfil my original goal of burying it and starting anew. Perhaps I should just focus on living out a normal life and graduate. Something doable."

"You're the right track there; in fact you've already made a few friends. Ren, Nora and me. Team RWBY. You're performance in class has risen significantly and you're grades are looking fine. The road ahead looks good for you Jaune."

Perhaps this was thing Pyrrha could capitalize on? If she couldn't train Jaune in sparring, perhaps her way of contributing to his life is by helping him get through this school year and help him achieve his goal, his dreams of starting anew. Perhaps that way she could guide him out of the hell hole he was in, towards a better place.

"You really think so? You actually believe I have shot at this? You're the first person to have told me this you know that?" His voice giddy with flattery.

"I-I…. really?" Pyrrha asked softly while hiding her face to avoid showing the redness showing in her cheeks.

"Really, I mean….yeah." He chuckled softly as he realized what had happened, his cheeks too showed a small tint of red.

* * *

 **Hello again my fellow readers. I hope this chapter pleased you all. Do drop a review if you can as it is highly appreciated. And yes, clearly I ripped some names off from Hitman 2 and possible an entire mission as well. Nonetheless I found the game enjoyable with how derpy the A.I were.**

 **Yours Truly:**

 **ZafkielRagnarov~**


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